Mayah the Garden Fairy
by Elsadisney
Summary: Mayah is a little garden fairy that lives with Tink and her friends in Pixie Hollow. She goes on a great adventure to the mainland and meets a little girl named Rachel. She is an adventurous little fairy.
1. Mayah is Born

One beautiful evening in Pixie Hollow, a few years after pixie dust had been restored, a dandelion fluff blew by. It was almost autumn on the mainland. Vidia noticed the fluff floating about. She guided it to the Pixie Dust Tree. Some of the fairies had noticed too, and came to watch.

Zarina, a dust-keeper fairy, flew in with a cup of pixie dust and poured it on the fluff. The fluff became a fairy, and raised her head. She had ginger hair flowing loosely down her back, green eyes, light skin, and exactly a dozen freckles sprinkled across her face.

All the fairies that had come to watch looked down at her. She heard them say hello.

"Hello?" she said in a small voice.

Suddenly, Queen Clarion flew in. "Born of laughter, clothed in cheer, happiness has brought you here. Welcome to Pixie Hollow," she said to the new fairy.

The new fairy managed a small, nervous smile.

"Now let's see about those wings," Queen Clarion said.


	2. Mayah's Talent

Queen Clarion ran her hands up the fairy's wings, and the pattern shone with pixie dust. It was a beautiful swirly pattern. Then, Queen Clarion took her hand and swirled her around, teaching her to fly. The fairy flew up and giggled. Then she found the ground again.

Then, mushrooms appeared. They came up out of the tree in a circle. The fairies from each talent placed an item on the mushrooms.

"What are those?" the new fairy asked.

"They will help you find your talent," the queen replied.

The fairy walked over to a water droplet. She touched it, but it went dark and fell to the mushroom. Then she went to a ball of light. It disappeared when she touched it. Then she walked to a hammer, but it fell apart when she grasped it. She went over to a flower. She looked up at the fairies sitting on the flower above it. They were all smiling. Hesitantly, the new fairy tapped it with one finger. It glowed as brightly as the sunshine. The fairy gasped and smiled.

Queen Clarion held on to the fairy's shoulder. "It looks as though you are a garden fairy, Mayah," the Queen said.

All of the garden fairies crowded around Mayah. They touched her wings and hair. Mayah grinned.

"Now, sugarplum, we've gotta do somethin' about those freckles," Rosetta said.

"But I like my freckles!" protested Mayah.

"Well then, I guess I'd better show ya' around, then," Rosetta said.


	3. Mayah's New Look

Rosetta took Mayah's hand and led her to a beautiful place.

"This is Spring Valley, where we spend a lot o' time," Rosetta said. "Oh, and here's where you'll be stayin'!"

Rosetta showed her a large flower. Mayah went in and gasped. There was a beautiful petal bed! She pulled on her dandelion fluff dress and grinned hard.

"Oh, May, may I call you May?" Rosetta asked. Then she giggled at her unintentional pun. "You might wanna go get somethin' to wear. That fluff might be comfy, but it sure won't last!"

"Okay!" Mayah said. "Yes, you can call me May."

Rosetta took her to a pink and purple flower. Chloe, another garden fairy, smiled at Mayah. "You're the new arrival, right?" she asked. "I can pick you a petal to wear."

"That would be great!" Mayah said. "If I could pick any color, I would love pink."

"I'm partial to red, but pink's a great color!" Rosetta said. "Go with that for now."

Mayah watched as Chloe expertly plucked a petal. Mayah grabbed the petal. "Thank you!" she yelled.

Rosetta and Mayah went back to May's house. Mayah fluttered over to a petal curtain. She went behind it. Then, Mayah came out. She was wearing the pink and purple petal. A bit of the bottom had been ripped off to tie around her waist. Mayah smiled.

"You look just perfect!" Rosetta said. "I knew pink would flatter your red hair."

"Thanks!" Mayah said. "But I'm really hot. The back of my neck is sticky."

Mayah's hair was hanging down the back of her neck. It ended just below her shoulders. She had bangs too, and she pushed them out of her face.

Mayah flew out of her house quickly. Then, she bumped into Tink!

"Ouch!" Tinker Bell cried. After righting herself, she remarked, "You look hot."

"I am," said May. "My hair is making me hot."

Tinker Bell flew off. She came back with a small orange flower petal. "Here," said Tink kindly. "You can tie up your hair."

Mayah wrapped it around her hair to make a side ponytail. She smiled. "I feel a lot cooler now! Thanks!" she told Tink.

"You're welcome!" Tinker Bell said. "By the way, I'm Tinker Bell, but you can call me Tink. You should probably ask Rosetta what jobs you need to do next!"

"Okay," Mayah said. Then she fluttered off towards the Spring Valley.


	4. Mayah's Jobs

Mayah flew up to Rosetta. "What jobs do I need to do?" she asked. "Tink told me that I need to ask you about jobs."

"Well," said Rosetta, "I will teach you how to help flowers sleep. When we go to the mainland to bring autumn to the world, we garden fairies will have to help the plants fall asleep."

Mayah smiled. "Great idea!"

The little fairies fluttered over to a flower patch. "We will make these plants sleep," Rosetta said. "Don't worry, when you're done I'll wake them up again."

Mayah smiled at Rosetta. "You sure know what you're doing," she said.

"Sugar, I've been around or much longer than you," Rosetta explained. "I'm even older than Tinker Bell! When you're that old, you know what you're doin'."

Mayah grinned.

Rosetta flew down to a flower. "Now, I will put pixie dust on this little poppy. Then, you'll sing it a lullaby."

Mayah frowned. "I don't know any lullabies!" she said.

"In that case, I'll teach ya' one." Rosetta said. "But I'll take you to the Winter Woods where I won't accidentally make some flowers sleepy."

Mayah beamed. "Let's go!" she cried.

"Now wait," Rosetta said. "If you don't wanna break a wing, you gotta get your little wings frosted."

"How?" Mayah asked.

"A frost fairy, of course!" Rosetta exclaimed. "Sometimes I forget that you're so young."

Mayah and Rosetta flew to the border. Mayah put a hand through, then quickly pulled it back.

"It's freezing!" Mayah shouted.

"That's why it's called the __Winter__ Woods, sweet pea," Rosetta said.

Just then, a fairy with white hair and a blue dress flew up. "I'm Periwinkle!" she said to the new fairy. "Do you warm fairies need any help?"

"My friend Mayah needs her wings frosted, and so do I," Rosetta replied.

Mayah squinted at Periwinkle. "You look a lot like Tinker Bell," she said.

"Well, that's because I'm her sister," Periwinkle said. "Our wings look exactly alike."

"Wow, that's pretty cool!" Mayah replied.

Periwinkle told the garden fairies to turn around. Then, she frosted their wings. Mayah giggled at the cool feeling.

Rosetta took May's hand and pulled her through the border. Mayah's body felt cold, but her wings didn't feel any different. She yelped in surprise when a snowflake landed on her arm.

"Honey, that's snow," Rosetta said. "It's what covers the winter in white."

Mayah looked up. There was a fairy with short white hair above her. The fairy took a bit of snow and crafted it into a snowflake! Then the fairy threw it at Mayah. Mayah grabbed it and smiled.

"I'm Qana," the fairy said. "Are you new?"

"Yeah," Mayah said. "I just arrived today."

Qana flew to another part of the Winter Woods. Mayah and Rosetta continued on to a secluded cave.

"Okay, sugar snap," Rosetta said. "I'm gonna sing a lullaby. Now you remember it!"

"Okay!" Mayah said eagerly.

"Tiny flower, rest your head, on your little flower bed. Shut your bud up so tight, like a baby in the night. Tiny flower, rest your head, on your little flower bed!" Rosetta sang.

Mayah smiled. "I think I'll remember that one!" she said.

She and Rosetta flew out of the cave. Periwinkle was waiting.

"Nice song!" she said.

Rosetta blushed. "Oh, it's just a little lullaby that the flowers like. Nothin' like the ones the storytelling fairies think up."

Just then, a handsome sparrowman flew over to Rosetta. "Oh!" she said.

"Sled, how's it goin'? What animals are you taking care of today?" Rosetta asked.

Rosetta was turning red as a rose. "We really have to go," Mayah said. "Come along, Rosetta!"

Mayah dragged Rosetta away from Sled. Soon, they were at the border.


	5. Mayah's First Trip to the Mainland

Mayah and Rosetta crossed over the border. Mayah's wings began to feel funny.

"Rosetta, my wings feel strange," Mayah said.

Rosetta glanced over at Mayah. Her wings were still frosted. Rosetta rubbed Mayah's wings with her arm. All of the frost melted off.

"Thanks!" Mayah said.

In the weeks that followed, Mayah learned many things about being a garden fairy. She became very good at her talent. Mayah was a very good fairy, and the garden fairies were glad that she was there.

Then, the queen delivered the news. They were going to the mainland to deliver autumn! The fairies would leave the next day.

"Now remember the lullaby to make the flowers sleep," Rosetta said, "and make sure to do it quickly. Also, watch out for humans. If you see one, hide!"

"What's a human?" Mayah wondered.

"They're giants without wings," Rosetta said. "Some are mean and some are nice. You can't tell. Also, grownup humans sometines can't see us, but be very careful!"

Mayah shuddered. "They sound scary," she said.

Rosetta nodded. She had not seen very many humans that were friendly to fairies. There was Lizzy, but she was probably all grown up by now.

The next day, all of the fairies flew to the mainland. Mayah was very nervous. She and Rosetta were going to England to deliver the season. Chloe, another garden fairy, would not be with them. She was going to a different part of the world.

Mayah landed on the green grass. She touched a blade and made it grow. Rosetta stopped her.

'We are making the grass sleep, not growig it!" Rosetta said.

Mayah closed her eyes and began to sing. Her clear voice was a bit louder than all of the other fairies.

As Rosetta sprinkled pixie dust on the plants and trees, Mayah sang her lullaby.

"Little flowers, close your buds, rest in pretty flower beds. Shut your buds up oh so tight, like a baby flower might, little flowers, rest your heads, in those pretty flower beds!" Mayah sang.

All of the flowers were closed up tight. Rosetta smiled. The lullaby wasn't the same as the one she had taught Mayah, but the flowers seemed to like it.

Mayah smiled at the sleeping flowers. Then she noticed that the art fairies were painting the leaves red and orange and yellow. Some of the garden fairies were helping the trees to sleep.

An art fairy named Bess smiled at the garden fairy watching. "Cool, right?" Bess said. "I think you need to get back to work."

Mayah nodded. Then she went around to all of the sleeping flowers. She took the seeds and put them in bags. The fairies would use them next spring.

Soon, the fairies' work was done. Mayah and her friends followed the Minister of Autumn up into the sky. Suddenly there was a scream.

"There are humans in the area!" Nyx, a scout fairy, shouted.

All of the fairies flew out of the area. Mayah found Rosetta, and the two fairies flew away from the mainland. Soon, they were all back in Pixie Hollow.

"Are all of the fairies accounted for?" Queen Clarion asked Baden, another scout.

"Yes," he said. "No fairies have gone missing."

Queen Clarion nodded. Then she flew off to look for the other groups.

Mayah grinned. "We did a pretty good job," she remarked.

"I'd think so. By the way, your singin' was fantastic!" Rosetta said.

Mayah beamed. The little pixie had done a wonderful job.


	6. The Newest Fairy

A few months after Mayah's first trip to the mainland, a new fairy arrived. The fluff of the dandelion flew by Mayah's house, waking her up. Mayah flew out of her house in confusion. Soon, she caught up to Rosetta.

"Oh, isn't it excitin'?" Rosetta asked Mayah.

"But... what is it?" Mayah asked.

"Oh, I forgot you're the newest fairy," Rosetta replied. "That's a new fairy. Before a fairy becomes a fairy, the fairy is a dandelion fluff with a baby's laugh in it."

"Really?" Mayah asked. "So that's what I looked like when I was a fluff?"

"Yup!" Rosetta said.

The two garden fairies flew on to the Pixie Dust Tree, where a fast-flying fairy named Elwood was guiding the fluff to the tree.

"I hope it's a garden fairy," Rosetta said to Mayah.

The fairies fluttered to the garden fairy seats right before the fluff got there. Rosetta sat behind Chloe and Mayah.

Then, Terence brought the pixie dust to the fluff. He poured it on to the fluff. The new fairy lifted her head and looked around. Mayah waved. The other fairies all said, "Hello!"

The newest fairy looked around again and said, "Hello?"

Everyone smiled at her. Then, streams of pixie dust came along at a fast speed. They collided, and the queen appeared! She was so advanced in fairy knowledge that Queen Clarion could travel in streams of pure pixie dust. She didn't do it much anymore, though.

The four Ministers bowed as Queen Clarion flew between them. She went over to the new fairy and said, "Born of laughter, clothed in cheer, happiness has brought you here. Welcome to Pixie Hollow. I hope your journey was safe."

The fairy nodded, staring at the queen's sparkling yellow wings.

"Now," Queen Clarion said, "let's see about those wings."

The fairy looked at her back and her drooping wings. She couldn't lift them yet.

Queen Clarion ran her hands across the fairy's wings. They sparkled with pixie dust. The new fairy began fluttering her wings. Queen Clarion grabbed her by the hand and twirled her around as the fairy fluttered. Then, the queen let go, but the fairy was not ready. The fairy flew across the tree and into a branch!

"Ouch!" the fairy said, rubbing her head. She recovered quickly, walking over to the Queen.

"Sorry," Queen Clarion said, chuckling.

The fairies watching giggled softly.

Then, mushrooms popped out of the tree. Mayah was given the flower. She looked at Rosetta, who whispered, "Take it to our mushroom."

Mayah nodded and flew over to the mushroom closest to the garden fairy seat. She set the flower down. It hovered a few centimeters above the mushroom.

Mayah flew back to her seat. She watched as the fairy went over to the flower first. Mayah gave a smile, and the new fairy smiled back.

The fairy touched the flower, but it fell apart, petals drooping. The fairy frowned. Mayah pointed to the next mushroom. A torando was on it. The fairy went over to touch it. Mayah got a look at the back of the fairy's wings and frowned. They weren't the right shape for her to be a fast-flying fairy. Sure enough, when the fairy touched the tornado, it turned to dust. The fairy walked over to the next mushroom, a ball of light. It just disappeared when the fairy touched it.

Next, the new fairy went to an egg. She touched it hesitantly. Then, the egg began to glow brightly. The fairy grabbed it firmly, and it glowed even brighter. Soon, the other fairies had to close their eyes.

When the fairy put the egg down, it dimmed down to a muted glow. The fairy looked at Queen Clarion.

"Well, it seems like you're an animal fairy, Lulu," Queen Clarion said.

Mayah grinned at the name. Lulu was such a cute name!

Lulu flew over to the other animal fairies. Then they flew away.


	7. Mayah and Lulu

Mayah watched Lulu go with the other animal fairies. She waited with her talent group.

"Now, sweet pea, that was amazin'!" Rosetta exclaimed. "A new fairy arrives every few months, but it still is amazin' to me!"

Mayah grinned. "I really thought that was cool!" she said. "I've never seen a new fairy be born before."

Rosetta nodded. "Now you aren't the newest. You should help out Lulu. I mean, get her acquainted to you an' the rest o' us garden fairies."

Mayah said, "That would be wonderful!"

"Maybe when a new garden fairy arrives, you can teach her all of the things we do," Rosetta remarked.

Mayah nodded and flew off. She soon saw the place where all of the animal fairies were. There was a strange scent to the air.

"Hi Mayah!" Fawn shouted. "Wanna join us? We're washing skunks!"

Mayah made a face. "No thanks!" she said.

Then Mayah flew to a distant tree to watch. Lulu didn't seem to be bothered by the skunk smell. In fact, her face was right under a skunk's tail!

It took a while, but soon all of the skunks were clean. Lulu spotted Mayah and flew to the tree Mayah was in. Mayah pinched her nose.

Lulu said, "Hi, I'm Lulu. What's your name?"

"Mayah," replied Mayah. "You can call me May. By the way, you don't smell too great."

Lulu giggled. "I know!" she said.

"Um, would you mind washing yourself? I could grow you a tomato," Mayah replied.

"Sure!" Lulu laughed. "You're a flower fairy, right?"

"Garden fairy," Mayah replied. "I think there's a tomato plant in the Spring Valley. Please don't come along. The other fairies won't appreciate the smell."

Lulu grinned. "I won't!" she shouted.

Mayah flew over to Spring Valley. She soon spotted a tomato plant. She placed her hands on it and made it grow to an impressive size. The Minister of Spring flew over to her.

"How do you fare?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Mayah said. "My friend Lulu smells like skunk, so I'm growing a tomato to wash her in."

The Minister of Spring nodded. Then, Mayah let out a shriek! Her tomato had grown to the size of a pumpkin!

"How do I carry this?" Mayah wondered.

Rosetta flew over. "All you need is pixie dust," she replied. Mayah reached into her bag of pixie dust for the day. She sprinkled a bit on the tomato, and it floated a few inches into the air. Mayah gave it a tap and it began to float lazily in the opposite direction. Then, Mayah grabbed hold of the stem and pulled it over to the Autumn Forest.

Soon, she spotted Lulu. Lulu's eyes grew huge when she saw the tomato.

"That's a huge tomato!" Lulu cried.

"I know!" Mayah said. "I grew it a bit big. But it will work!"

Lulu handed Mayah a sharp pebble, and Mayah cut open the tomato. Seeds and juice fell onto the ground. Lulu flew down and began washing herself. Several other smelly animal fairies flew over to the juice and washed themselves too.

Soon, Lulu was not stinky anymore. She was covered in tomato juice.

"Lulu, we should go to Havendish Stream!" Mayah yelled. "We'll get you washed off."

Lulu tried to fly. She couldn't.

"Help! My wings don't work!" Lulu cried.

Mayah giggled. "You can't fly when your wings are wet. We'll have to walk."

Mayah landed next to Lulu, and the friends walked over to Havendish Stream. Then, Lulu jumped in. She came back up coughing.

"Help!" screamed Lulu. "I can't swim!"

Mayah's eyes got big. She had forgotten how deep the stream was. Mayah couldn't swim either. Lulu went back under. Her wings were pulling her under.

Mayah began screaming for help. A water fairy flew over. It was Cera. Cera stepped onto the water and skated to the drowning fairy. She grabbed Lulu by the arms and pulled her out. Cera carried Lulu to shore.

Lulu coughed up lots of water. When she was done coughing, water streamed out her nose. Mayah patted her friend on the back until Lulu's breathing was normal.

Lulu stared at Mayah. "You saved my life!" she said.

Mayah smiled.

Then Lulu turned to Cera. "You saved my life too!" she cried. "Um, what is your name?"

"My name is Cera," Cera answered.

Lulu gave Mayah and Cera a huge hug. Then she looked over to the other side of the stream. Tomato-covered animal fairies were standing around. Water fairies were picking up water and pouring it over the animal fairies' heads.

Lulu gave a short laugh. "That could have ended up much less dangerous," she said.

"I hope you learned something!" Mayah said with fear in her voice.

"Yes," Lulu said. "Fairies can't swim."

Just then, Lulu spotted a dark shape in the water. A fairy shot out! Lulu gasped.

The fairy walked to shore.

"How can you swim?" Lulu asked incredulously.

"I don't have any wings," the fairy replied. "I'm Rani, a water fairy."

Then Rani turned around. Lulu and Mayah saw her bare back where wings used to be.

"You see, I had to cut off my wings to save Never Land," Rani continued. "It feels funny without wings, but I can swim because I don't have wings to drag me down."

Lulu nodded. She told Rani, "I almost drowned a few minutes ago."

Rani's eyes widened. "That sounds awful!"

Lulu nodded. She fluttered her wings. They had finally dried, so Lulu hovered in the air. She relaxed.

Mayah looked into Lulu's twinkling blue eyes. The fairy was smiling. Mayah could see that Lulu was much more comfortable in the air than on the ground. Mayah fluttered up beside Lulu.

Rani's face fell. Mayah realized that Rani could not hover in the air. Rani hopped into the water and swam away.


	8. Mayah Leaves

Months later, Tinker Bell had a surprise for the fairies.

"I am going with Peter Pan to the mainland to visit Wendy," Tink said. "I'm also going to visit Lizzy. Does anybody else want to come?"

Mayah didn't really want to, but Lulu did. Lulu had never gone to the mainland.

Tink ended up taking Lulu and a water fairy, Ava. The fairies were gone for a few weeks. Then, Tinker Bell came back without Lulu or Ava! Mayah was worried. Tink confirmed her fears.

"Lulu and Ava were outside when I went to Lizzy's house," Tink said. "When I came back, they were not there. I saw them in a boy's hand. He was holding them tightly. I followed him to his house. He brought Lulu and Ava inside. I looked through a window. Lulu saw me and screamed for help. I was going to go back to Pixie Hollow to get help, but then the boy grabbed Lulu by the wings and ripped her wings off! He did the same to Ava."

Mayah and several other fairies began to cry. Queen Clarion looked worried.

"There are only a few fairies without wings," Queen Clarion said. "They can survive because all of the other fairies help them. But because Lulu and Ava have no one, I fear that they will not survive."

Mayah gasped. Lulu was her best friend! Mayah flew away sobbing. Rosetta went after her.

"Wait, May!" Rosetta cried.

Mayah turned around. "I need to be alone for a while."

Rosetta nodded and let Mayah go to her house alone.

In her house, Mayah grabbed a pink fancy dress and her acorn hat. She wrapped them in a leaf and grabbed her pixie dust ration. Then she flew away to the mainland.

Mayah had a challenging journey. She arrived at the mainland safely. She flew past Big Ben. Being careful not to be seen by any humans, she peeked in a window. To her surprise, Lulu was in there! The wingless fairy's eyes brightened when she saw Mayah. Lulu clung to Ava's arm and waved at Mayah. Ava wasn't moving.

Mayah's first thought was that Ava was asleep, but then her eyes widened in realization. Ava was not breathing.

Lulu was crying. Mayah suddenly saw a boy walk past the window. She could hear voices.

"Jack, what are you doing?" came a female voice.

"Nothing!" the boy by the window yelled. Mayah assumed that he was Jack.

Then, the boy walked away. Ava's body was missing. Jack must have taken her.

Lulu was still on the table. Mayah saw her lips moving.

"Goodbye," Lulu whispered. Then her eyes closed.

Mayah began to cry. Her best friend was gone. She turned to go back to Pixie Hollow.

"No, I can't," Mayah whispered. "I can't go back."

Mayah flew until there was not one speck of pixie dust on her. Then she sprinkled a bit from her bag onto herself. Weeping with sadness, Mayah flew out over the ocean. She saw a tiny island and landed on it. It had fruit trees, but there were no humans or animals. Mayah knew she would stay there.

The sad little fairy found a good-sized flower. She flew in and put her leaf bag into it. She also put her pixie dust there. Mayah walked everywhere on the island, because if she used all of her dust she would be trapped on the island. Soon she settled in to her new home.

In Pixie Hollow, Rosetta decided to go check on Mayah. She went in Mayah's house, but nobody was there.

"Where is that little sugar snap?" wondered Rosetta.

Then, Rosetta checked the closet. Mayah's fancy dress and pixie dust were gone! Rosetta gasped.

"She's gone away!" Rosetta gasped.

Rosetta went out and told the other fairies that Mayah had left. They sent out scouts to look for Mayah, but they did not find her. They reported that Mayah had left Never Land.

The other fairies assumed that a hawk had gotten Mayah. Rosetta was very upset.

The scouts also reported that Lulu and Ava were gone. Queen Clarion flew out of her home.

"Fairies, many of you know that Lulu and Ava are gone. Mayah is also gone. Does anyone have something to say about them?"

"I saved Lulu from drowning once," Cera said.

"I taught Ava how to put dewdrops on a web," Silvermist said.

"I washed skunks with Lulu," Fawn said.

"I taught Mayah a lullaby for the flowers," Rosetta said.

All of the fairies who had known Ava, Lulu, and Mayah lowered their heads and mourned. Then all of Pixie Hollow went back to normal, or as normal as it could be without Lulu, Ava, and Mayah. Rosetta was deeply upset. So were Fawn and Silvermist.


	9. Mayah's Return

70 years later...

Mayah was on the island she lived on. For 70 years Mayah had not seen any other living creature. Mayah had been racked with grief for her best friend, and it was just now starting not to hurt so much. It was the year 2015. Mayah had begun to realize that her friends in Pixie Hollow had not seen her for a very long time. She missed Rosetta.

Suddenly, Mayah began feeling guilty. Her friends must have felt exactly the same way as she felt when she saw that Lulu had not returned! Mayah, with a sinking heart, realized that Rosetta, Chloe, Lily, and her other friends probably assumed she was dead.

Mayah made up her mind. She had to go home to Pixie Hollow and see her friends again. But first, she would take a trip around the mainland to see what the humans had created new since she had become a hermit.

Mayah walked to her flower home and grabbed her dress. She put her acorn cap on her head and poured some pixie dust on herself. Mayah flew into the air. It felt so good to fly again!

"Now," Mayah said. She was surprised to learn that her voice had become scratchy from years of disuse. She began singing the lullaby Rosetta had taught her so many years ago. After a few rounds of it, Mayah's voice became normal again. She noticed that all of the flowers around her had closed their buds. Mayah cracked a smile. It felt strange to smile, but in a good way. Mayah decided that she would never frown again no matter what.

Mayah wrapped her dress and pixie dust in a large leaf. She tied up the leaf sack and held on to it by the stem. Then Mayah started on her journey.

Mayah flew out over the ocean to America. Every so often she would feel heavier and know she was running low on dust. She would land somewhere, on a ship, perhaps, and sprinkle another pinch of dust onto herself. Then, she would get back into the air.

After a few weeks, she arrived in America. She flew around, looking at all of the new things. Mayah noticed that the humans' automobiles looked much more modern. Instead of old, clunky automobiles, they were sleek and shiny. Mayah then spotted a human. She was afraid that the human would see her, but the human was looking at his hand. Mayah looked too. She was amazed to see a tiny rectangle of light! It was covered with glass and had a black border. The human was sliding his finger across the rectangle. Mayah saw a little character on the screen moving with the human's finger.

Mayah was very amazed. Soon, she grew tired. Mayah found a little flower to sleep in for the night. She curled up and was soon fast asleep.


	10. Mayah Meets a Human

Mayah woke up and wondered where she was briefly. Then she remembered. She was out looking at the world!

Mayah grabbed her bag and flew out of the flower. She noticed that the world was just waking up. Mayah smiled to herself. Then she stopped. There was a bright white strip of ground that stretched for miles! Automobiles were zooming past on the strip. Mayah gulped. Any one of the massive cars could smash into her and make her just a spot on a windshield. Mayah instead flew over the strip at a large height. She was soon on the other side. Mayah was sweating from the fear.

Mayah found a berry bush and picked a berry for breakfast. It wasn't nearly as good as the ones on her island, but Mayah was so hungry she didn't care. Berry juice dribbled down and stained her dress. Mayah finished the berry off.

The tiny pixie flew around. Soon she grew tired of just flitting around outside. She flew into a house. The door had been hanging open, but after she had gone in somebody had closed it. Now Mayah was frightened. She had no way out!

Mayah flew around, trying to find a hiding spot. When a boy swatted at her, she dove under a chair and hid. That boy had assumed she was a bug, but next time she might not be so lucky.

Then, Mayah saw an open door. She flew through it and groaned. She was in another room. Suddenly, the door closed. Mayah tried not to panic as she searched for a place to hide. She saw a bed and flew under. A little brown box was under there! Mayah flew in and dimmed her glow as much as she could.

The door opened, and a little girl walked in! Mayah started feeling panicked. She hoped the girl wouldn't look under the bed.

The girl's socks came closer and closer. She kicked the box Mayah was hiding in. The foot went up and the girl began yelling.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!"

Mayah began to slowly inch her way to the back of the box. Her glow was moving now, however, and the girl noticed.

"Huh?" she asked, picking up the box.

Then she saw Mayah.

"I've never seen this doll before!" the girl exclaimed.

Mayah sagged her wings behind her, hoping the girl wouldn't notice them.

The girl touched Mayah's face. "It's so soft!" the girl said in amazement.

Mayah tried not to blink. The girl stroked her petal dress. Suddenly, Mayah felt a sneeze coming on.

 _Oh, no_ ,Mayah thought.

Mayah tried to hold it in. She couldn't move her arms, otherwise the girl would notice. She concentrated on keeping open her eyes. She hadn't blinked for a while though. Mayah's eyes flew shut, and she sneezed loudly.

AH-CHOO!

The girl was so surprised she dropped Mayah! Mayah quickly swooped her wings out and flew. The girl chased the little fairy, but the terrified Mayah flew to the corner of the ceiling and stayed there, breathing hard.

Mayah looked around frantically for an exit. Her eyes fell on the little crack under the door. She flew down quickly and shoved her feet through. She shoved her body through, and tried to shove her head through.

"Oh, come on!" Mayah shouted. Her head was too big. She tried to shove, but she couldn't get her chin through.

"Oh, pixie dust..." Mayah muttered.

The girl bent down and grabbed Mayah by the head. She pulled Mayah back through the door crack. Mayah's wings drooped.

"Wow!" the girl cried. "A real fairy!"

Suddenly, Mayah's mind flashed back to a picture she could never forget. Wingless Lulu, her eyes closing as she said her last word.

Goodbye.

Lulu had known she was dying. She said goodbye so Mayah would have the comfort of hearing those words.

Mayah suddenly realized she was in great danger. A human had ripped Lulu's wings off, and she could have the same fate!

"Are you going to... well, you know... pull my wings off?" Mayah asked fearfully.

The girl didn't answer. Then she said, "So that is what a fairy sounds like! A little bell!"

Mayah quickly realized that to humans, she did sound like a tiny bell. Now she knew that the girl wouldn't understand her.

"My name is Rachel," the girl said. "What's yours?"

"Mayah," Mayah said. Then she remembered that the girl couldn't understand her.

Mayah spotted a cup with pens in it. She flew out of the girl's grip. Knowing that she could not escape, Mayah grabbed a pen. The heavy object swayed as she struggled to fly with it.

Rachel grabbed the pen and ran out of the room. A moment later, she was back with a paper. She set it on the floor. Then she gave Mayah the pen.

Mayah flew down to the paper. She struggled to use the pen. Rachel held on to the top of the pen to steady it.

Mayah wrote a squiggly M. She gradually got used to the pen and wrote a somewhat wobbly A. The Y was a bit big, and the next A was only a little better than the last. Her H looked a lot more like a person with knock-knees.

The girl understood, though, and smiled. "Your name is Mayah?"

" _Jingle, jingle, jingle, jingle,_ " Rachel heard when Mayah nodded.

Then Rachel opened the door. She walked out. Mayah shot out with a burst of speed.

"Wait!" Rachel yelled. She swiped at the air and caught Mayah.

Mayah closed her eyes and braced herself for the pain that was sure to follow her wings being pulled off. But Rachel made no move for the little fairy's wings. Instead, she said, "I won't keep you, but could you at least tell me goodbye?"

The word brought tears to Mayah's eyes. Lulu's last word. Mayah kept a smile on her face as tears streamed out of her eyes. Rachel was looking at Mayah, concerned.

"I just can't bring myself to say... the word," Mayah cried.

Rachel didn't understand her, of course. Mayah grabbed the pencil and drew a terrible-looking picture of a boy ripping Lulu's wings off. Rachel's eyes grew larger.

"That fairy that the boy pulled the wings off of, she was your friend?" Rachel asked.

Mayah nodded.

"Oh, will you please stay with me?" Rachel pleaded.

Mayah nodded again, and Rachel spun around happily. "I've never met a fairy before!" she said with a grin.

Mayah, exhausted, fell onto the bed and slept heavily.

The next day, Mayah woke up. She was not on the bed anymore. She was in a little place with yellow walls. She was lying in a tiny bed made of cloth and a cotton ball. She looked over to her side. Her leaf bag was in another tiny room with green wallpaper. Mayah flew out of bed and went into the room. Her hat was on a table along with an acorn pot. In the pot was a piece of bread. Mayah took it and ate hungrily. She looked around the little room. There was a chair made of cardboard. Mayah sat in it. The fairy saw a tiny drawing framed on the wall. She went into the yellow room again and saw that there was another picture hanging on that wall.

Mayah put on her hat and tried to get out. The windows were too small to squeeze through. For a moment Mayah panicked. She was in a cage! But then she leaned on a brown wall, and it swung open. Mayah saw that the wall was really the door.

The girl picked May up and smiled. "Do you like the little house I made for you?" she asked.

Mayah nodded. The girl grinned even harder.

Mayah flew around the room and pushed on the door.

"Oh, do you want to go outside?" Rachel asked. "It's a little cold, but I could show you all of my stuff out there!"

Mayah nodded. Rachel opened the door to the room and let Mayah fly out. Then Rachel grabbed a jacket and opened the door to outside. Mayah flew out as fast as she could.

"Wait!" Rachel cried. "Please wait!"

Mayah flew over the fence towards the second star, which she could just barely see. She waved to her new human friend and flew on. She had a mission to complete.


	11. Return to Pixie Hollow

Mayah flew into the sky. She found the second star and flew past it. Then she flew to Never Land. Holding her bag with the fancy dress and dwindling supply of pixie dust, she located Pixie Hollow. She flew in and was greeted by a fairy she had never seen before.

"Hi! My name is Melon, and I'm a garden fairy! Are you new here?"

Mayah was about to respond when she heard an unmistakable voice.

"Melon, who are you talkin' to? It better not be one o' those naughty water sprites that have been sneakin' in ta' Pixie Hollow!"

Mayah's heart beat faster as Rosetta flew into sight. When Rosetta saw Mayah, she stopped and stared.

"Mayah? Is that really you?" Rosetta gasped incredulously.

Mayah's eyes filled with tears of joy as she flew over to her friend. She wrapped her arms around Rosetta. Rosetta and Mayah gave each other a big hug.

"Oh, Mayah, I, we all, well, we all thought a hawk had gotten you!" Rosetta exclaimed. "I missed you."

"Me too," Mayah said. "How long has it been?"

"Many, many years. It has to have been almost seventy," Rosetta said. "And where were you? The scouts searched everywhere!"

"I was on a little island. Nobody lived there, not even and ant," Mayah replied. "It is so small nobody could find it without searching for thousands of years. I stumbled upon it when I was flying away."

"Wow," Rosetta said. "You're one o' my very best friends. I was so sad when I saw that your house was empty."

"I'm sorry," Mayah said. "I had to see... Lulu."

It hurt to say that name. Mayah was again reminded of Lulu's wingless form, saying that last word. Goodbye.

"Did you make it in time to see her... alive?" Rosetta asked tentatively.

Mayah was fighting back a frown. "Yeah," she said quietly. "She saw me. She smiled at me. Then she said goodbye, and then..."

Rosetta nodded. She understood Mayah's pain, the same pain she had gone through for 70 years, believing that Mayah was dead. But Mayah would never get that overwhelming joy that Rosetta was having, the joy that her friend was alive and well.

Mayah was not feeling sad anymore. She told Rosetta, "When I was flying around the mainland, I went in a house. A human found me."

Rosetta gasped.

"She was kind to me," Mayah went on, "and made me a little house. She said her name was Rachel. She said I could live with her."

"What?" Rosetta said in surprise. "But, will you live with her?"

"I have to go back," Mayah said. "When I flew away to go back here, I left her sobbing in her backyard."

"Well, you should go!" Rosetta said unselfishly. "That girl is so sad. She misses you like I missed you."

"I think I might like to live with a human," Mayah said. "I will come back here and see you all, and I'll do it frequently."

"Ok, but first I want ta' introduce you to the newer fairies," Rosetta said. "You met Melon, she's the newest garden fairy. She arrived only last month!"

"Wow," Mayah said. "I feel so old!"

"Well, you kinda' are," Rosetta reminded her. "Not as old as I am, but 70 years is pretty old."

"I guess," Mayah replied.

"I'll spread the word that you're alive and here," Rosetta said. She flew off to tell the news.

Just then, Fawn flew over. She saw Mayah and gasped.

"Mayah? Is that really you?" Fawn asked.

"Yes!" Mayah shouted.

"I missed you!" Fawn cried.

Mayah smiled and gave Fawn a hug. She immediately pulled back.

"Ugh! What is that smell?" Mayah gasped.

Fawn shrugged. "I was out washing skunks."

Mayah laughed. Then she remembered. She had met Lulu the day that Lulu was washing skunks with the other animal fairies.

"Remember that time when you brought that huge tomato to clean us up?" Fawn asked. Then her smile faded. "Oh yeah... sorry I brought that up."

"It's okay," Mayah said. "I'm still sad about her, but living on an island without any living thing around but plants for 70 years makes me appreciate all of my friends."

Fawn stared at Mayah. "You lived on a deserted island for 70 years?"

"Oh, yeah, I did," Mayah said.

Just then, the queen flew over to the fairies. "I heard rumors that Mayah is here, alive," she said to Fawn. Then she noticed Mayah.

"Mayah!" Queen Clarion cried. "All of Pixie Hollow has missed you!"

Mayah, suddenly shy, flew backwards a bit.

"Hello, Queen Clarion," Mayah said awkwardly.

"Hello, Mayah," Queen Clarion said. "Pixie Hollow has missed you. Where have you been all these years?"

"I was living all alone on a deserted island," Mayah said. "I saw Lulu, but when she... passed away, I was so sad I could not return. I... I am sorry to have caused any trouble."

"I understand," Queen Clarion said gently. "Well, I am glad you saw Lulu. Did you see Ava as well?"

Mayah lowered her head. "I came too late. She was not alive by the time I came. I saw her body."

The queen nodded wordlessly.

Mayah saw Melon out of the corner of her eye. She flew over to talk.

"So, you're the new garden fairy," Mayah said.

"Yep," Melon said. "I'm learning the basics."

Mayah smiled. "Rosetta told me once that I could teach a new garden fairy some skills. That was before I left."

"Why did you leave?" Melon asked.

"It's hard for me to talk about without crying," Mayah said. "Why don't you ask Rosetta sometime?"

"Okay," Melon answered.

Just then, Olwen, a garden fairy, flew up behind Melon. "Hey Melon, I want you to help me plant some seeds," she said. Then the little fairy saw Mayah and brightened up. "Mayah! I never thought I would see you again!"

Mayah smiled. "I'm back," she told her old friend. "Could I help you and Melon?"

"Sure!" Olwen said with a smile.

Just then, there was a commotion. A fast-flying fairy Mayah didn't know was blowing a dandelion fluff towards the Pixie Dust Tree!

"What's that?" Melon wondered.

"Why, it's a new fairy!" Mayah cried. "Arriving today!"

Soon, all of the fairies were assembled on their seats. All of the fairies knew that Mayah was back by now.

The fluff landed. A dust-keeper named Pewter poured dust on the fluff. The fairy lifted her head.

"Hello?" she asked.

Everyone smiled. The procedure went on as Queen Clarion pixie-dusted her wings. The mushrooms popped up, and Melon was chosen to carry the flower down. The new fairy touched many items before coming to the hammer. She picked it up and held it as it glowed brightly.

"It appears that you are a tinker fairy, Tinkerberry," the Queen said.

Tinkerberry smiled and stretched her wings. She went off with the tinker fairies and soon had flown out of sight.

"Well, I really should get going," Mayah told her friends. She said goodbye to her friends, and soon she was off to see the human she had met.


	12. Mayah Goes Back to the Human House

Mayah flew until she saw the house that Rachel lived in. She saw Rachel sitting in her yard. The little girl looked upset, but was not crying anymore. Mayah tapped the child's shoulder. Rachel looked up.

"Mayah! You came back!" Rachel shouted.

"Of course I did!" Mayah said.

"I can't understand you, but you sound happy," Rachel said. "Where were you?"

"Pixie Hollow," Mayah said. Then she remembered that Rachel could not understand her. She grabbed a stick and wrote ****PIXIE HOLLOW**** on the ground in the dirt.

"Oh," Rachel said. "Isn't that where Tinker Bell lives?"

Mayah nodded her head vigorously. She had no idea how the little girl knew of Tinker Bell, but she was happy that Rachel knew where she meant.

Rachel led Mayah into the house. The fairy flew towards the girl's room and stopped. The door was shut. The child opened the door and let Mayah fly in. Mayah gave a gasp of delight when she saw her little cardboard house that the girl had made for her.

The next few days were busy, but Mayah didn't mind. She went outside to the crisp autumn breeze every day and visited her friends in Pixie Hollow. She was outside so much that Rachel finally decided to build a house outside for her.

"I need some sticks," Rachel said. Mayah was lying on the grass. She didn't really care to build houses. That was the tinker fairies' job.

Soon, the tipi-like house was finished. Mayah walked in and admired the crooked walls. Just then, a quick wind blew past, knocking over the house! Mayah pushed the long sticks off of her legs and sighed.

"Sorry, May, I'm not a tinker fairy," Rachel said with a sigh. "What kind of fairy are you?"

Mayah touched a blade of grass. She concentrated, and it grew tall. First taller than Mayah, then to Rachel's knee, and finally over Rachel's head! To be fair, Rachel was short, being a child, but it was still a massive blade of grass!

"Wow!" Rachel cried. "Are you a garden fairy?"

Mayah nodded proudly. She then broke the piece of grass off of the ground and tied it around Rachel's waist. Rachel smiled.

"A grass belt!" the girl yelled excitedly.

One day, when the leaves had almost all fallen off of the trees, there was a knock on the door. Rachel answered it, and in flew two fairies!

"Hi, Mayah!" shouted one. Mayah recognized her as Melon, the newest garden fairy. The other fairy waved timidly. It was Tinkerberry!

"Hi!" Mayah shouted, happy for company. "Are you just passing through?"

Suddenly, a hand grabbed Melon and Tinkerberry. Mayah groaned. It was her human friend.

The girl lifted the fairies up to her mouth. Melon and Tinkerberry were terrified! Rachel did not eat them, though.

"Hi there," she said. "My name is Rachel. What are your names?"

"M-M-Melon," Melon quivered.

Tinkerberry said, "Tinkerberry, Trinity for short."

"I can't understand you," Rachel said. "Can you write your names on a piece of paper?"

Melon and Tinkerberry nodded. Rachel let them go. The two fairies flew up to the roof.

"Trinity, Melon, would you please come down?" Mayah asked. "Rachel is a very nice human. She would never hurt a fairy!"

The fairies nodded and flew down to the little girl. They each grabbed hold of a pen and struggled to write their names on a piece of paper. Rachel smiled.

"Melon and Tinkerberry. I like it!" Rachel smiled, showing a bunch of little teeth.

The two fairies smiled. Mayah gave each fairy a big hug and the fairies flew off. Mayah showed them the house Rachel had taped together for her. It was clear that Melon and Tinkerberry were going to stay.


	13. Mayah Breaks a Leg

Mayah, Melon, and Tinkerberry waited as the weather grew colder. The three fairies had become very good friends. They all lived with Rachel. They were very happy.

One day, Rachel was in her room, talking to Mayah. Mayah would talk back, but all Rachel would hear were jingles. The little fairy was smiling when Rachel talked. Rachel was messing around with Mayah's legs. Mayah felt Rachel move her legs back and forth. Once, Rachel pulled her leg too far back. Mayah scrunched her face in pain, but Rachel did not notice. The girl pushed back farther and farther until...

There was a horrible ripping sound, and Mayah screamed in pain. Her leg was not attached anymore! Mayah held where it had ripped off so that she would not lose any blood. Rachel dashed out the door, not shutting it. She opened a cupboard. Then she slammed it and ran back in. Mayah could barely see now. She was keeping a tight smile on even as tears poured out of her eyes.

The little girl applied something cool to Mayah's break. Then she grabbed the detached leg and pressed it on hard. Mayah cried out, but the girl just pressed harder. Finally she stopped. The pain was less now. Mayah looked at her broken leg. It was back on now, but there was no feeling in it. Mayah looked up at the child. Rachel was holding a bottle of super glue.

Mayah flew into her little house, not moving her hurt leg. She grabbed her bag of pixie dust and poured it onto her leg. Immediately, feeling rushed back into her leg, but she could not move it more than a few millimeters.

"I'm so sorry!" Rachel said. "I am a terrible human. Please don't be mad!"

Mayah didn't feel angry, just sad.

"If there was a healing fairy here, she or he could have made your leg better," Rachel went on. "I had to use super glue."

Mayah nodded through her tears. She would never be able to move her leg very far, but at least she could still feel it.

Later, Mayah was out in the dining room with her friends.

"Sit down," Trinity said, "and we can eat these oat pieces."

Mayah tried to sit. Suddenly, she was aware of the fact that she could not sit down!

"I can't!" Mayah screamed.

Trinity looked shocked. "What?"

"I can't sit down," Mayah said in a calmer voice, "because Rachel accidentally ripped my leg off."

Tinkerberry gasped. Melon fainted.

"She glued it on with superglue," Mayah continued, "but I can't move it far enough to sit down."

Melon had recovered and began to cry.

"I can just stand up to eat," Mayah said.

Her friends nodded, looking unhappy.

Later, Mayah opened her pixie dust bag. She saw that it was empty.

"Oh, great!" Mayah yelled. "I guess I'll just go to Pixie Hollow and get some more."

Mayah tried to fly out the door, but discovered that she had used every last drop of dust. She could not fly.

"Come on..." Mayah groaned. She went to Melon and asked, "Can I borrow some dust?"


	14. Winter on the Mainland

Mayah had gotten some pixie dust from Melon and flown to Pixie Hollow. She was now used to her leg being unable to move, and so she did not complain when she was the only one standing. By now, all of Mayah's friends knew about her tragedy. A healing fairy named Elixia had applied a cream to it, and now it did not hurt.

The three fairies living at Rachel's house were happy. They flew to Pixie Hollow almost every day. They were glad that their human friend took such good care of them.

One day, Rachel awoke to a surprise. She looked out the window, and everything was covered in white! She couldn't wait to tell the fairies her news.

"Fairies! It's snowing!" Rachel cried.

Mayah, Melon, and Tinkerberry cheered. They waited patiently as Rachel put on her coat, hat, mittens, snow pants, boots, and scarf. Mayah then flew into the door, telling Rachel to hurry up.

The fairies flew out the door, with Rachel trailing behind. Mayah gasped. It was cold! Her wings felt strange, but she shook off the feeling and flew on.

Mayah noticed Qana the snowflake fairy throwing snowflakes. She didn't see any warm fairies, but Periwinkle was frosting the plants. Mayah shouted,

"Hi, Peri! Hi, Qana!"

Periwinkle looked surprised to see her friend. Tinkerberry and Melon said hello to the many winter fairies flitting about. Snowflake fairies were throwing snowflakes from atop trees. Mayah noticed that Peri was looking at her worriedly.

"May, you look cold!" Periwinkle remarked.

"I am," shivered Mayah.

"You have to be careful," warned Peri. "If you break a wing, you'll never fly again!"

Mayah smiled and asked Periwinkle to frost her wings. Periwinkle did it happily, and Gliss and Spike frosted Melon and Tinkerberry's wings.

The fairies said goodbye, and Rachel walked to the backyard and undid the latch. The fairies had already flown over the fence, and they were looking over it with excitement. Tinkerberry balled up some snow and tossed it, but the snow was too cold to really make anything. The fairies made tiny snow angels, and Rachel made a big snow angel.

Then, Rachel got the idea to build a temporary fairy house for the winter. She collected some sticks, and Tinkerberry helped her build a little tent of sticks. It looked like a tiny model of _Eeyore_ 's house from _Winnie the Pooh_.

The little fairies flew in the house and found some dry leaves for carpeting. Tinkerberry put sticks in the back of the house so there would be a third wall to keep the wind out. During the winter, the fairies spent a lot of time there.

Of course, the frost fairies could not frost Mayah, Melon, and Tinkerberry's wings all the time. Rachel made three shawls out of scrap cloth for the fairies when they wanted to go out. This complicated things because if the fairies wore the shawls, they could not fly. Mayah couldn't walk very far, so Rachel usually carried the three fairies around.

After many months, winter was over. It was springtime, and Mayah and Melon were very happy. The muddy ground would soon give way to green plants for the garden fairies to nurture. Fairies occasionally flew to the mainland to check up on all of the things that needed tended to.

The little house, of course, had fallen over when the snow melted. Tinkerberry had the idea to build an underground house. With a shovel, Rachel dug a hole in her small city garden. The garden was only the length of Rachel's garage, and it was only about one or two feet wide.

After the hole was dug, Rachel and Tinkerberry positioned sticks across it for the roof. They left a little opening so the fairies to get through. Rachel found a small length of cloth and folded it in half to make a purple carpet. The home worked well for the three fairies, although it had to be rebuilt after every rain.

One day, Rachel got tired of having to re-make the house after a rain. She instead decided to make a wooden house out of small pieces of her daddy's wood. Her dad went down to the workshop, with Rachel and the fairies behind him.

Mayah was measured, and the height of the house was determined. Rachel watched as her dad drilled the nails into the house.

"Wow! An automatic screwdriver!" Tinkerberry exclaimed.

"No!" Melon yelled. "That looks sharp! You don't want to end up with a screw in your head!"

Rachel turned to see what the commotion was about. She saw Melon and Mayah holding Tinkerberry back from the drill.

"Tinkerberry, don't get close to the drill!" Rachel said fearfully.

Tinkerberry sighed and sat back on a box. Melon sat with a bored expression, and Mayah hovered without much excitement as they watched the drill push the screws into the house.

Tinkerberry was on the edge of her seat. She listened eagerly as Rachel's dad tried to explain the drilling process and the different sizes of screws to Rachel.

Finally, the house was done. Rachel smiled and lugged the miniature house away. She put it on a counter in her house and said, "We'll paint it tomorrow!" For it was getting late.

The tired fairies flew into the cardboard house and rested their heads on the fluffy cotton pillow. None of them minded sharing a bed.

Rachel woke up bright and early the next morning and was ready to paint. She asked her mommy for some paint. Soon she had the supplies. Mayah, Melon, and Tinkerberry changed into their painting clothes. Rachel had given them to the fairies so that they would not get their regular dresses splattered.

'I'm not really into painting," Melon remarked to Mayah.

"Yeah, me neither," Mayah replied.

"Painting's okay," Tinkerberry said. "But I'd rather build something."

Rachel, oblivious to the conversation, put up her hair and slipped on an old shirt. She squirted the paint onto a scrap piece of paper and mixed it with a brush. She painted each side a different color. Tinkerberry was busy trying to make a fairy-sized paintbrush. Mayah and Melon were resting inside the painted house, exhausted from flying around and trying to do aerial flips.

When the painting was finished, Rachel set it down to dry. She went outside and played. Mayah, Melon, and Tinkerberry were back in bed sleeping. They wanted to have lots of rest for putting in the house. Mayah had also been kept awake by a leaky faucet. _Drip, drip, drip, drip..._

Later that day, the fairies and the child went outside with the colorful fairy house. Tinkerberry set to work taking the old house apart, which was quite easy. Then Trinity and Rachel filled in the hole.

Next, they dug a rectangular hole to bury the bottom of the house in. That way, the inside floor would be level with the ground. They put the house in and packed the dirt around it. Tinkerberry was proud. She had done a good job.

The next day, in the hot sun, Tinkerberry found some wheels from a toy car. She decided to make a car for a fairy! Using the sticks from the old house, (which was really more of a dugout) the fairy built a car. She used mini rubber bands and twisty-ties to fasten it. There were no plant stems, for the plants had not yet grown, and the trees were still bare. She tested it, but it was in no condition to go anywhere yet. Rachel found the toy car that the wheels had broken off of. The axle-holder was stripped and cracked, so the wheels could never go back in. Rachel broke the other wheels of the car out, and Tinkerberry used them for her car. Finally, the car was built. There was no way for the fairy to drive it, so it operated solely on the human pulling it.

This was in the early spring of 2016. One day, when the fairies were lounging outside, a light fairy flew by. Mayah called out to her.

"Hey, there!" Mayah yelled. "You're a friend of Iridessa's, right?"

"Yes," the fairy answered. "My name is Sophia, Sophie for short."

Mayah grinned. "I've seen you around, but I never have caught your name."

Sophie laughed. "I wouldn't know your name either, but you're kind of famous around Pixie Hollow."

Mayah was not surprised. She had disappeared for 70 years and then suddenly came back. She was a bit of a legend. Also, she was the late Lulu's best friend.

Suddenly, Rachel saw Sophie! She gasped. Sophie was frightened. She grabbed a beam of light and shined it in Rachel's face. Rachel looked away, and Sophie hid behind Mayah.

Suddenly, Sophie saw the fairy house. Her mouth fell open.

"You _live_ here?" she asked Mayah.

Mayah turned around. "Yep!" she said. "My friend Tinkerberry built it with a little help from the human!"

Sophie was amazed. "It's so beautiful!" she cried. "The roof is so flat I could sun-gaze!"

Mayah smiled.

"I wish that I lived here," Sophie said wistfully.

Melon, who was busy trying to help a tiny sprout of green grow, looked up. "You could," she remarked. "Tinkerberry and I like it here so much that we just decided to stay!"

Sophia was lost in thought. She grabbed a beam of light and shined it at Rachel's back. Rachel turned around.

"Hi, little fairy!" Rachel said. "What is your name?"

Sophia picked up a hot beam of light and threw it at the sidewalk. It burnt a word into the walk. **Sophia, Sophie for short** , it said.

"Amazing!" Rachel shouted.

Sophie grabbed a beam of light and burnt out the words: **Can I live here?**

"Of course!" Rachel shouted.

Sophie was very glad. She loved being in the fairy house. When Rachel brought the four fairies inside, Sophie went straight towards the light bulbs. She grabbed a shining drop of light, and she put it under the table. She loved living with Rachel and Mayah, Melon, and Tinkerberry.


	15. More Fairies

After Sophie came to live with Mayah, Melon, and Tinkerberry, she became a good friend to them. Sophie liked living with Rachel and the other fairies. The bed in the indoor house was getting a bit cramped, but if Mayah scooted over to the edge so she wouldn't bother anyone with her useless leg, and if Tinkerberry put her hair up and over the headboard, they could fit.

Sophie's blue eyes sparkled one morning when the fairies flew outside with Rachel. Tinkerberry had tied a gray piece of cloth loosely around her brown hair. Melon's blonde hair still had a bit of paint in it, but it would wash soon. Mayah's green eyes were shining when she saw plants sprouting from the garden.

Rachel liked to collect glass pieces for the fairy house. They shimmered and sparkled, catching the sun. Fairies love shiny things, and Rachel was hoping for more fairy friends.

Since Sophia was a light fairy, she could find glass easily. She moved sunbeams around until she saw something sparkle. Sometimes it was just a foil candy wrapper, but often it was shiny glass. Rachel would carry Sophie in a little container so that Sophia's wings would not tire.

One day, Rachel got a package in the mail. Muffled jingling could be heard inside. Rachel opened it quickly, and two fairies flew out!

"Man, it was hot in there," one of the fairies said.

"I'm thirsty," said the other.

Rachel couldn't understand them, for all she heard were jingles. Mayah flew over to the fairies.

"Hi, I'm Mayah!" she said. "What are your names?"

"I'm Dewdrop," said the thirsty one with red hair.

"My name is Cassy," the blonde one said.

Dewdrop had shiny red hair with pink streaks. It was up in a bun. Cassy had shoulder-length blonde hair. Dewdrop's green eyes were tired, and so were Cassy's blue ones.

"I'm still so thirsty," Dewdrop said.

"Me too," Cassy added.

Mayah pulled on Rachel's sleeve. Sophie, Tinkerberry, and Melon were introducing themselves to Dewdrop and Cassy. Rachel turned around. May motioned for Rachel to follow her, and went to a faucet. Rachel turned on the water.

"Dewdrop, Cassy, come here," Mayah shouted.

The new fairies flew over to the tap. Sophie, Melon, and Trinity were close behind.

Dewdrop's eyes brightened when she saw the water. She put her hands in the running water. She pulled out a droplet and drank it. She did this many more times. Cassy was waiting. Dewdrop pulled a droplet out for Cassy to drink.

Soon, the fairies had drunk their fill.

"I can see that you're a water fairy, Dewdrop," Melon said.

Dewdrop nodded proudly.

"What talent are you, Cassy?" Tinkerberry wondered.

Cassy smiled. "I'm an animal fairy!" she said.

Then, Cassy made squeaky noises, though to Rachel, they just sounded like jingles. Ants crawled out of a room, and Cassy petted them.

"How did you girls get in that package?" Sophie wondered.

Dewdrop frowned. "It's a long story," she said. "Carrie and I..."

"Who is Carrie?" Mayah interrupted.

"Oh," Cassy said. "That's my nickname."

"Anyways," went on Dewdrop, "we were just sitting in a flower, delivering spring. Cassy had just come back from waking up hibernating animals, and I had helped the light fairies melt the icy rivers."

"Suddenly, a human came!" Cassy said. "She scooped us up and brought us in her house. She must have thought that we were toys."

"It was a full-grown human," Dewdrop interrupted.

"The lady put us in a package," Cassy said, "and she taped it shut. She wrote something on it."

"I could tell because the writing utensil tickled my wings," Dewdrop interjected. "Then, inside the package, we were shaken around and dropped a few times. After a few weeks, maybe, we must have arrived here. That girl opened the package, and we flew out."

"You poor fairies!" Mayah said. "Would you like to live here with us?"

Cassy brightened. "Of course!'

Dewdrop agreed. She did a flip in the air. Then she smiled.

"Oh," Trinity said. "The human is Rachel. She is good to us."

Cassy smiled. "Great!" she said.

A few days later, Rachel's fairy friends went outside. Dewdrop went over to a puddle and made a water fountain. Then she danced on the water. Dewdrop glided across the puddle, doing complicated tricks. Meanwhile, Cassy was riding on a mouse. The fairy held on and told the mouse how to maneuver its way around the yard.

Rachel went in and got an old, leaky cup. She placed it in the garden near the fairy house. Then, she filled it with water.

"It's a little pool!" Rachel said.

Dewdrop was delighted. She took off her sparkling blue petal dress, revealing a pink swimsuit underneath. She swam over to the cup and sat in it to soak. The tiny fairy absorbed a bunch of water.

A few days later, it was cool outside. A quick wind was blowing, and the fairies were in their outdoor home. Suddenly, Rachel saw something go past. She grabbed it. It was a fairy!

The fairy tried to get out of Rachel's grip. "Oh, please don't leave," pleaded Rachel.

Melon and Cassy flew out of the fairy house. "Don't be scared," Melon said. "This human is a very nice human! She would never hurt a fairy."

"Okay," the fairy said. "I'm Breeze."

Mayah suddenly flew out. "I remember you!" she cried. "You're the fairy who is almost as fast as Vidia!"

Breeze proudly fluttered her wings. Mayah noticed that the small bottom parts of her wings were pointed at the tip, indicating that Breeze was a fast-flying fairy.

"Will you live here, with us?" Cassy asked. "It gets mighty hot when there's no wind. You could make a gentle wind to cool us down."

"I guess," Breeze said uncertainly.

"The little girl's name is Rachel," Mayah said.

Breeze finally agreed to stay. Mayah turned a flip in the air.

"I can do better than that," Breeze said.

Rachel's hand was getting sweaty, and soon Breeze popped out of her grip. She looked at the bottom of her dress, which was damp. "Ick," Breeze said.

Then, Breeze did a series of flips, cartwheels, and somersaults in the air. She was doing this at the speed of sound.

Mayah looked on admiringly when she saw the tricks.

There were now seven fairies living with Rachel. They were very happy. Rachel was also happy to have so many pixie friends.


	16. Birthdays and Freezers

Mayah was very excited. Rachel's birthday was nearing, and she would be in a special place for the party! Mayah went to her little tube with the clothing in it. Each fairy knew which clothes belonged to them, and they always wore their own clothes.

Mayah found a pink skirt. It was made of cloth. She pulled it out and wrapped it around her middle after taking off her usual pink dress. Mayah's underwear was showing, but she was not too worried. Soon, she would have something to wear on her bottom.

Rachel opened the door to the bathroom and told Mayah to go in. Mayah flew in.

"I'm going to give you a bath!" Rachel said.

Mayah smiled. She was a bit dirty from all of the gardening she did, but she was going to be clean for the party. Mayah took off her clothing and waited. Rachel filled the sink with clean, warm water.

Mayah hopped in and sighed as she lay back in the water. Within seconds, her wings were full of water. They began to drag her under, but Rachel put her hand under Mayah. Mayah stayed above the water with Rachel's hand holding her up.

Rachel grabbed the shampoo. She lathered it in her hands and scrubbed the garden fairy. Mayah's wings felt so clean.

After Mayah had been rinsed off in the sink, Rachel took her out and dried her off with a dry washcloth. Mayah put her clothes back on, skimpy as they were. The fairy was glad to be clean. Her wings dripped uselessly, for a fairy cannot fly when her wings are wet. Soon, though, Mayah had dry wings.

"Now, stay inside and do not get dirty!" Rachel instructed.

Mayah groaned and found a table to lie on until she was needed. Rachel went over to the other fairies.

"Breeze, Tinkerberry, Sophie, Melon, Cassy, and Dewdrop!" she called.

The fairies flew over.

"At my party, you guys will play hide and seek," Rachel said. "One of the kids will find you. Stay absolutely still when they do!"

"Okay, I'll do that," Sophie said.

"What did you say? I can't understand you!" Rachel said in frustration.

Sophie instead nodded. The other fairies did too. Rachel understood that.

A few days later, Rachel stayed up past her bedtime. She was going to frost the cake! Mayah came out too. The other fairies were all sleeping on a piece of cloth, for they had given up on trying to squeeze into the bed.

"Mommy, can we frost the cake now?" asked Rachel.

"Yes," her mother said.

Rachel smiled. Her mom mixed up some pink frosting and put it on the table. Rachel wiggled around excitedly as her mom brought out the cake.

Mayah gasped. The cake was in the shape of a dome! And that meant...

Rachel's mother patiently carved a hole in the middle of the cake. Rachel grabbed Mayah and put her in the cake! Mayah smiled hard and lifted her wings. She held up her arms as Rachel's mother frosted the cake that was now Mayah's decorative skirt. It was soon pretty and pink.

Next, Rachel's mom put frosting into a squeezer. She carefully made a pattern around the skirt. Mayah gasped as she saw the beautiful, intricate design in white around the skirt.

"It's beautiful!" gasped Mayah. The humans could not understand Mayah, but she said it anyways.

Then, Rachel's mom put the cake in the freezer. Mayah gasped as she felt the cold air. The freezer closed, and it was dark inside. Mayah was cold and tired, and she went to sleep standing in the cake.

A few days passed. Mayah's wings were numb. She hoped that they had not broken. The other fairies were hiding in their places. Mayah could not hear through the freezer, but the other children had arrived.

They played a few games. Then it was time for "Find the Fairies" to start. In a few moments, all of the fairies had been found. They sat down on the counter to watch Rachel have fun.

Mayah was shivering. She wondered how much longer she would have to stay in this frosty place. Suddenly, she saw a crack of light. The freezer was opening! Mayah waited patiently as Rachel's mom raised her out of the freezer. The fairy fluttered her wings and tried to get them to feel again. Soon her wings were warm enough. She felt them again and grinned.

All of the little kids gathered around the table. They sang "Happy Birthday," and then Rachel blew out the candles on a second cake.

Soon, the kids were eating merrily. When nobody was looking, Mayah scooped a piece of frosting off of her skirt and took a small bite. The cake and ice cream looked delicious.

After Mayah had been sitting for a bit, she saw her friends. She waved inconspicuously, and they waved back discreetly.

After the children had eaten their fill, they went over to the gifts. Rachel eagerly unwrapped each one. One of the gifts was a miniature ice castle made from plastic. It looked like _Elsa_ 's castle from _Frozen_.

The fairies knew that it would make a great fit for them. They waited for what seemed like forever. Finally, the last child had gone out the door with their mother. The fairies eagerly flew to the castle. Tinkerberry was impressed with the battery-operated light mechanism. Sophie liked the lights, but for a different reason.

When the fairies were settled into their new home, they went to sleep. Rachel was very happy that she had gotten all of her gifts. Mayah, who had gotten out of the cake and put on her petal dress, was happy not to spend another night in the cold, dark freezer.


	17. Tomato Plants and Frost

A few days later, Rachel's father wanted to plant some tomatoes. The garden fairies flew outside, excited to plant a new plant. Then, Rachel's father got the seedlings.

"This is so wonderful!" Mayah said.

"I know!" gushed Melon.

Rachel, not having a clue as to what the garden fairies were talking about, did not say anything. Melon flew up to one seedling and stroked its leaves. It grew a little larger.

"Mayah, I want to help the first seedling to grow," Melon said.

Mayah smiled. "We can both help," she said.

The fairies waited until Rachel's father planted the seedling. Mayah and Melon flew over to it. Melon and Mayah flew around it, and it grew larger by the second.

Soon, the three seedlings were planted. Mayah and Melon stayed outside, coaxing the plants to grow taller.

Spring soon turned to summer, and the fairies were excited. Their friends would stay on the mainland! Since the fairies always stayed on the mainland the whole season, Mayah was certain that she would see some friends.

Tinkerberry had the idea to build a little fairy camp. Not the main camp for the area, but a small camp for wayward fairies. Her car that she had built had been run over by the lawn mower, but there were still sticks around to build a camp.

Tinkerberry used sticks, leaves, and twist ties to create her camp. All of the fairies agreed that it was an amazing summer camp.

One hot day, the fairies came outside. Breeze was going to make a wind to cool down the hot day, and Sophie would move sunbeams so that they would not shine directly on any of them. Tinkerberry had decided to work on building more on the fairy camp, and Mayah and Melon would grow the tomato plants. Cassy would convince a spider to stop spinning webs in the fairy house, and Dewdrop would water the plants.

Before any of them could do those things, though, they heard a yelp.

"I hear a jingle!" Rachel gasped.

Tinkerberry saw a fairy over in the fairy camp! Rachel gasped and went over. The fairy tried to fly away, but she could not move very far.

"Are you okay?" wondered Sophie.

The fairy gasped. "I... don't know..." she said. "I'm too... hot..."

"Oh no!" Melon said.

Rachel picked up the fairy. She said, "What is your name?"

"Elsie," the fairy responded.

Rachel sighed. "You'll have to write it for me when we come inside."

The fairies flew over to the fairy house. Elsie flew inside weakly, glad to be away from the hot, hot sun.

"I'm a frost fairy," Elsie said.

"What are you doing here in the summertime?" Tinkerberry wondered.

Elsie smiled weakly. "I was sent to try and cool down the hot summer," she said. "I lost my way and found this fairy camp."

Tinkerberry smiled.

Mayah asked Elsie, "Why don't you take off your unneeded clothing? Surely you must be hot!"

Elsie thanked Mayah. She took off her skirt, made of a long pale blue leaf, and revealed stockings underneath. She was wearing shoes made of white petals. Then she took off her shirt. Mayah gasped. The other fairies did too. Elsie had a hole where her heart was!

"What happened?" asked a concerned Breeze.

Elsie shrugged. "I was born that way."

"Really?" Dewdrop wondered.

"Yes," Elsie said. "More and more fairies are being born with holes where their hearts are. Queen Clarion is worried."

Cassy asked gently, "Are you... incomplete?"

Elsie gasped. "No!" she shouted, startling everyone.

"Sorry," Cassy apologized. "I didn't mean it to be offensive."

Elsie frowned. "That wasn't very nice."

"I'm sorry!" Cassy said.

Elsie grinned. "I forgive you."

Unlike Mayah's large wings, Elsie's were very small. She could hold herself up with them, of course.

"Why don't you frost your wings?" Tinkerberry asked.

Elsie brightened. "I didn't think of that!"

She frosted her wings and flew over to Rachel.

Soon, the fairies, including Elsie, were inside. Elsie was added to the growing number of fairies who lived with Rachel.


	18. A Long Journey

One day, Rachel came into her room. Elsie, Dewdrop, Mayah, Melon, Breeze, Tinkerberry, Cassy, and Sophie were flying around.

"We're going on vacation!" sang Rachel. "You're coming along!"

Mayah perked up. "Really?" she asked.

"I'm so excited!" Rachel sang, dancing around the room.

Mayah groaned. Of course Rachel couldn't understand her.

"We'd better pack," Elsie said worriedly. Her blue eyes sparkled as she flew around. Her blonde hair was in a tight braid. The frost fairy was always worrying, although she did have a point. She had almost broken her wing the day the fairies had found her.

"Periwinkle taught me how to frost nearly everything!" Elsie said on a lighter note. "I can frost anyone's wings if they get too hot."

Breeze rolled her eyes. "We're warm fairies," she said.

Elsie's wings drooped. "You have a point," she said.

Tinkerberry decided that she would wear her regular dress, a leaf with white trim. Sophie would wear her yellow dress. Her dress that she had worn when she decided to live at Rachel's place had been torn on a thorn bush, so Rachel had made a dress out of a yellow Starburst wrapper. It worked well.

"Mayah," Rachel said, "make sure the other fairies don't pack food. It will go bad. We will eat when we arrive."

Rachel was going to stay at her grandmother's house. She had cousins who lived near her grandma's house. She was good friends with the youngest.

Mayah told all of the fairies not to pack food. They agreed not to. Everyone was in a hurry. Rachel would bring some dollies along too, but she did not know if she would play with them much on the way.

A few days later, it was Leaving Day. Rachel was stuffing her backpack with her blankie. Mayah and Melon were outside tending to the tomato plants. They gave them extra care, since they would not be home for a while to care for the plants. Rosetta was in the summer camp nearest to Mayah, so she would care for the tomato plants.

Finally, Rachel was packed up and ready to go. She hopped in the car.

"Fairies, time to go!" Rachel shouted. All of the fairies flew into the car with Rachel. Rachel counted them to be sure none were left. "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8! All here!" she said.

They sat on Rachel's chair and Rachel buckled herself in. Soon, they were off!

"Ninety-nine bottles, of juice on the wall..." someone sang in an off-key voice.

"We need to pick up the GPS!" Rachel's dad said.

It was hectic and noisy in the car. The fairies were tired. They slept for a while, and then woke up with renewed energy. Breeze flew around the car at top speed.

"Breeze, come back," hissed Rachel.

Rachel's parents were swatting at Breeze. They were weaving around the road. Breeze soon came back.

"Fairies, no fluttering around the car when we're driving, okay?" Rachel instructed.

All of the fairies stayed put after that.

At lunch, Mayah had a piece of bread to share with her friends. Rachel had a ham sandwich. Fairies don't eat meat, so none of them had any ham. Cassy was not even able to look at the ham, because she knew that a pig had to be killed to make it.

The car trip was long, and everyone was tired. But finally, they arrived.


	19. Mayah Meets Rachel's Cousin

Mayah flew out of the car, and immediately flew back in. It was raining, and she didn't want to risk getting her wings wet.

"Mayah!" Rachel called. "Come back over here!"

Mayah flew to Rachel. Rachel held open her pocket, and all of the fairies flew in. Then, Rachel hopped out of the car and ran to the door. She opened it and called, "Hello!"

Her grandma came into the room. "Why, Rachel, I didn't know you were there!" she exclaimed.

The fairies flew out of Rachel's pocket. They flew around the house, exploring. Tinkerberry cried, "I found a miniature pulley!"

Breeze rolled her eyes. "Who cares?"

Tinkerberry frowned. "You're not a tinker, so you don't. I wish there were some tinker fairies around here."

Mayah flew over. "Let's not get in a fight," she said.

Soon, Rachel came to where the little fairies were hovering. "Time for bed," she said.

All of the fairies followed Rachel upstairs. She went into a little room.

"This was my room when I was a girl," Rachel's mom said.

Rachel smiled and lay down on the bed that was there.

"Fairies, please sleep in my backpack tonight," Rachel instructed.

Sophie led the way. Rachel's backpack was not as stuffed, for Rachel had pulled out her blankie. The fairies went into the unzipped part of the backpack and went to sleep.

The next morning, all of the fairies had slept in. Dewdrop was the first one up.

"Guys! It's already 11:00 in the morning! We slept the day away!" she cried when she saw the clock.

"There are other days," grumbled Elsie. "I'm hot."

"Of course you are," Melon said. "You're a winter fairy, and it's July."

Just then, Rachel walked into the room. "Fairies, I want you to stay in here. My cousins are going to come over in a few minutes, and I don't know how they will like you. Some humans aren't as nice as I am."

Mayah shuddered, remembering that nasty boy Jack.

Rachel went down the stairs, and Cassy decided to look out the window.

"We're in a farmhouse!" she said with surprise when she saw the view. The window faced a cow pen. It was miles across. The cows were mooing softly. Those huge beasts fascinated Cassy.

Breeze looked. "Why, it's so big across!" she said with surprise. "I think I could go faster than Vidia without all of those pesky houses around!"

Tinkerberry looked, too. There was a house a few miles away. There was a car driving on the gravel road, but it was a lone car.

Soon, Mayah could hear shouts of laughter coming from downstairs. She wished she could have fun with Rachel's cousins, but she knew she had to stay there. All of the fairies began to get restless after a while.

"When Rachel said to 'stay in here', did she mean to stay in this room or on this floor?" Sophie wondered.

"In the room," Mayah said firmly.

Melon frowned. "What makes you the boss of us?" she wondered.

Mayah groaned. "I'm older than you by about 70 years," she said.

Sophia was staring out the window, watching the sun go across the sky.

Breeze yawned. "I'm going to bed."

The rest of the fairies were tired too.

"I'm hot," complained Elsie.

Tinkerberry glared at her. "Frost your wings, then!" Tinkerberry shouted.

After that, nobody talked. Mayah drooped her wings and fell asleep. The rest of the fairies slept too.

In the evening, Mayah was awakened by a hand grabbing her.

"Yipe!" she said. Soon she realized that it was just Rachel, and she relaxed.

Rachel slipped Mayah into her pocket. "Please stay in here," whispered Rachel.

"Okay," Mayah said.

"And no jingling!" Rachel whispered.

Mayah frowned. She felt that Rachel was going down the stairs. Rachel's pocket was hot and stuffy, but Mayah decided that she should stay in a little longer.

There was the creak of a door, and then it slammed shut. Mayah heard birds chirping. _We're outside!_ Mayah thought happily.

Mayah heard Rachel chattering with her cousin. She didn't listen much, though. Rachel was walking back and forth. There were mooing sounds, and the sounds of a splashing.

Soon, the stuffiness of Rachel's pocket got to Mayah. Mayah poked her head out to get some fresh air, and saw something wonderful.

 _An apple tree!_ The fairy thought. She didn't dare speak, because she would be heard as a jingling.

Mayah flew out of the pocket and touched an apple. It was green and unripe, but with a few touches of Mayah's finger, it grew bigger and became not as soft. Suddenly, Mayah became aware of the fact that Rachel was worried.

"She was right there!" Rachel was saying. Guilt stabbed Mayah as she realized that Rachel was talking about her.

Rachel's cousin said, "Who was right there?"

Suddenly, Rachel's face brightened. "Of course! She's ripening the apples!"

Rachel went over to the apple tree. She saw Mayah and grinned. "Grace! Come over here!"

Rachel's cousin came over to the tree. Mayah guessed that her name was Grace. The girl's eyes widened when she saw Mayah.

"It's a fairy!" Grace said.

Rachel smiled. "Yep, it is! Her name is Mayah. I brought her all the way from home!"

Mayah flew over to Rachel. She looked at Grace.

"Hi there," Mayah said shyly.

Grace smiled. "I hear a bell!"

Rachel said, "Fairies sound like bells when they talk!"

"Cool!" said Grace, grinning. "Can I hold her?"

Rachel looked at Mayah. "Can Grace hold you?" she asked.

"Yes," Mayah said with a nod.

Rachel smiled. "She nodded!" said Rachel.

Grace picked up Mayah gently. Mayah looked at Rachel's cousin's hands. Instead of soft and smooth like Rachel's hands, they were rough and strong.

"Mayah," Rachel said, "you must be hungry."

With a start, Mayah noticed her aching stomach. She hadn't eaten for two days, and she was starving!

Mayah flew off of Grace's hand. She went to the apple she had been growing and picked it. Mayah struggled to hold it, and then she put some pixie dust on it. It floated. Mayah pushed it towards a wooden swing and put it on the swing. She pushed her hand into the apple. Juice came out, and Mayah drank thirstily.

"Did she just make that apple float?" wondered Grace.

Rachel nodded.

Grace said, "She's a beautiful fairy. Can I make a dress for her out of a flower?"

Rachel nodded. "I don't think she would mind."

Grace went off to pick a flower, and Rachel went over to Mayah. "Do you like her?" asked Rachel.

Mayah nodded.

Soon, Grace came back. She had a pink flower in her hand. "This will look so purty on her!" Grace said.

Grace picked the pollen out of the flower. Mayah got hold of it. When she was done getting a new dress, she would pollinate a flower.

Rachel frowned. "How are we going to get the middle of her through that flower?"

"I don't know," Grace groaned.

They finally decided to make the flower into a hat for Mayah. Mayah liked the big, floppy pink hat.

Soon, it was time to go inside. It was getting dark. Grace whispered to Rachel, "Don't show the fairy to my brother. He doesn't like fairies."

Rachel nodded. "I won't."

"He thinks fairies are girly," Grace said.

Mayah began to feel mad. "Fairies are not girly! There are plenty of sparrowmen!" she shouted.

"Shush," warned Rachel. "We're getting close to the house. No jingling."

Mayah groaned, but kept a smile on her face.

Soon, the little fairy followed Rachel through the white door. Tiger lily plants were growing on either side of the porch. Any day now they would bloom. Mayah resisted the urge to fly over and nurture them.

"Meow," something said. Mayah looked down. There was a cat rubbing Rachel's legs!

"Help! Cat!" Mayah screamed, flying up to the roof. She looked down. The cat was quite skinny, not like the one Tinker Bell had met up with a long time ago with Lizzy.

Mayah wondered how old Lizzy was now. Tink had said that Lizzy was nine when Tink met her, but that was even before Mayah was born. Lizzy must have been at least 70 or 80.

Mayah flew back to Rachel and her cousin. They were waiting for Mayah.

"Please don't run off," Rachel said. "If I lose you, you could never come home!"

Mayah shivered at the thought. Although this farm was wonderful, she would much rather be with Rachel and her friends than alone on the farm.

Mayah went inside. Grace and Rachel followed her. The door swung shut, and Mayah flew into the little computer room. She decided to sleep on the piano bench that night. Grace had to go home soon after, and Mayah fell asleep, resting in her little flower hat.


	20. Black Raspberries

The next day, Mayah woke up. She briefly wondered where she was, but then she remembered. She flew upstairs.

"Cassy? Tinkerberry? Is anyone awake?" she asked.

Melon flew out. "Oh there you are!" she said. "I was starting to worry."

"Sorry," Mayah said. "After I met Grace, I didn't really want to go upstairs again."

"Who is Grace?" Elsie piped up.

Mayah smiled. "She is Rachel's cousin. I forgot you don't know her name."

"Well, of course we don't!" Breeze yelled.

Rachel rolled over. "What time is it?" she mumbled.

"5:30," Mayah said, although all Rachel heard was faint jingles.

Dewdrop flew out of the backpack. "5:30! We should be asleep!" she cried.

Sophie raised her eyebrows. "Says the fairy that snuck out at night to dance on a puddle."

Dewdrop blushed. "It's a puddle!" she cried.

Mayah flew out of the room quickly. This was getting to be an argument. She didn't want to join in.

"You snuck out?" Elsie asked Dewdrop. She hadn't lived there when that incident happened.

Mayah flew quickly down the stairs when she heard her friends' rising voices. She flew into the computer room and put her hat over her ears.

At about 6:00, Mayah could hear her friends screaming at each other. For such little creatures, fairies could make a lot of noise!

Rachel stumbled blearily down the stairs. "What are the fairies jingling about?" she asked herself. "They sure are being loud..."

Mayah rolled over and fell asleep.

" _Everyone, just go to sleep_!" shrieked Tinkerberry. There was no more yelling after that.

A few hours later, Mayah woke up. Rachel was running about the house with her cousins. She tore into the computer room, panting like mad. Grace followed, breathing hard. They slammed the door before anyone else could get in. There was a thump, and an _Owwwww_!

"That musta hurt," Grace said.

Rachel smiled. "Mayah! You're awake!"

The fairy flew over to Rachel and gave her a hug. Then she hugged Grace. Grace seemed surprised.

"Why don't you sit on my hand?" asked Grace.

Mayah's smile got smaller. "I can't sit," she said sadly.

"What did she say?" Grace asked Rachel.

Rachel scrunched her face. "I don't know!"

Mayah pointed to her bad leg. Rachel's face lit up and she frowned.

"I broke her leg once," Rachel said. "She can't move her leg anymore."

"I can move it a little bit!" Mayah said. Rachel and Grace did not understand, of course.

Rachel suddenly remembered something. "Stay there!" she told Grace, and went out of the room.

"You're such a nice fairy," Grace said. "How did Rachel catch you?"

Mayah smiled. "Well, I tried to go under the door, but my head was too big."

"I don't know what you're saying, but it sounds purty," Grace said.

Rachel came back. The other fairies were following her.

"More fairies?" Grace asked.

"Yep," Rachel said. Then she introduced them all.

Breeze smiled. "I can go super fast!" she cried. Then she flew faster than a car – right into the wall.

"Ooooh," Sophie said. "That's got to hurt."

Breeze got up and flew in dizzy circles.

"I don't want any of you to get lost," Rachel said. "If you do, you might never see home again!"

All of the fairies shuddered.

"Let's go outside!" Grace suggested.

Everyone was happy with that idea. Rachel led the way. All of the fairies flew outside. Once they were out, they scattered. Tinkerberry wanted to see how the tree swings worked, Dewdrop decided to dance on the water in the pool, which was really a tank for cattle to drink from, and Sophie lay on a tree branch, soaking up sun.

"Let's go pick berries," Rachel decided.

"Berries?" the fairies all said at once. They bombarded Rachel.

Rachel laughed. "Oh, there you are!" she said.

Cassy noticed a cat. She flew down and petted its soft fur.

"You two garden fairies, help me pick berries," Rachel said. "The rest of you lay on the swing."

Elsie was hot, so she put a new layer of frost on her wings.

Rachel and Grace led the way to the berry bush. Some ripe black raspberries were ready to pick. Others were red and unripe.

Melon and Mayah got right to work. They ripened up some red berries until they were a rich purple-black. Grace picked ten berries. "One for each fairy, and one for me and you!" she told Rachel.

They went back to the swing, and Rachel divvied out the berries. Tinkerberry stuffed her face, and the other fairies ate hungrily. Rachel popped the berry in her mouth. It was delicious. The fairies wiped their faces with leaves, and smiled. What a wonderful day.


	21. Another Fairy

Mayah woke up the next day on the piano bench. The other fairies had decided to sleep there too, because they did not like being upstairs and confined to one room. Mayah stretched and yawned. Then she smiled.

"Today we're going to Grace's house!" she shouted, grinning.

That woke the other fairies up. "I wonder if she has some machines I could look at?" wondered Tinkerberry.

"She's a little kid!" Breeze said. "But I'm sure she has a four-wheeler that I could race."

"I'm hoping for a nice, big garden," Mayah remarked.

Melon smiled. "I hope she has some plants too!"

"I bet there's a water hole," Dewdrop said.

"Don't count on it," Sophie told her. "But it should be sunny today!"

Cassy sat up with a grin. "I hope she has a bunch of animals," she said. She had been disappointed when Rachel had said firmly that she was not to go in the bullpen or the cow pen. Rachel said that she didn't want Cassy to sit in a cow pie. Cassy didn't really care if she got manure on her. After all, dirt was really just worm dung, right?

Elsie piped up, "I bet I could frost Grace's hair if she got hot."

Mayah began to giggle at the thought of Grace's hair covered in frost. She quickly piped down when she heard Rachel's grandpa wake up.

Soon, it was time to go. Rachel called, "Fairies! Follow me!"

Mayah and her friends followed Rachel. They went into Rachel's car. It was not packed full anymore. Rachel's mom started the car, and they were off! The gravel road whizzed by as the fairies looked out the window. All except Breeze, who was racing the car. She was actually past the car now, but had slowed down quite a bit because she didn't know the way.

Soon, the car pulled up and Rachel hopped out. She waited for the fairies to fly out, and then shut the door. Tinkerberry smiled and waited for Rachel to knock on the door.

"Rachel!" Grace cried. "And you brought the fairies!"

Rachel smiled. "Yep!"

They went around to the back. Cassy was the first to see the kittens.

"KITTENS!" Cassy screamed, and flew down to them. She petted them all, and they playfully batted at her. The dog just watched quietly until Cassy flew over to him. Then he gave her a giant kiss.

"Gross," Mayah said with a shudder.

Tinkerberry saw something in the distance, and then she flew over.

"What's this?" she murmured. "It has springs, and is bouncy. It looks like it is tightly woven strips of plastic. Maybe I could make something like this out of grass..."

Tinkerberry set to work.

Sophie found a warm sidewalk to lie on. She soaked up some sun and smiled.

Dewdrop wandered around the farm. She did not find a water hole, to her dismay, but she danced in the goats' water. Until, that is, they took notice of her. Then she quickly flew away.

Elsie began to frost some plants. The frost quickly melted, but it gave the plants a much-needed drink.

Breeze raced around the farm, zooming around and zipping in and out of buildings. She finally saw the Ranger. It was ready to go. Breeze looked around for Rachel.

"Will you race me in the Ranger?" she asked.

"That's nice," Rachel said. "Whatever you said."

Breeze groaned and found Sophie.

"Can you burn a message for Rachel into the ground?" she asked.

"Sure!" Sophie said.

Breeze fluttered hard near Rachel, who turned around. Sophie got her light beam ready.

 **Breeze wants to know if you can race her in the Ranger** , the sidewalk now said.

Rachel giggled. "I can't drive a Ranger! I don't live on a farm, so I wouldn't know how!" she laughed. "But I'll ask Grace, she might know how to drive."

Rachel went over to Grace. "Breeze wants you to race you in the Ranger," she said.

"Sure!" Grace said. "I'll start it up."

Soon, the Ranger was up and running. Grace hopped in and pushed the gas pedal. Breeze flew fast, and Grace drove very fast. They raced down the road and stopped at Suicide Hill.

"I won!" Breeze said.

Grace saw the fairy. "Wow, you're fast!" she said.

They raced back to the farm, and Breeze won again. After that, Grace had to water the plants. Melon and Mayah came along.

"Mayah, you make this plant's fruit grow big," Melon said. "I'll grow these ones."

Mayah touched the kohlrabi. It grew ripe and delicious. Melon grew the zucchini. Soon, all of the plants were ripe.

After Grace was done watering the plants, she smiled and said, "Do you want to see my fairy?" She said it quite loud, so even Cassy, who was petting the goats, heard her.

"Your fairy?" all of the fairies gasped, and flew over to Rachel. She went in the house and followed Grace up the stairs.

"She's probably in my room," Grace said. "She likes to hide in there. I hope she didn't get stuck in the Barbie doll box again."

Grace looked all around.

"I wonder if we know her?" asked Mayah.

Breeze shrugged. "Maybe," she said.

Finally, Grace said, "Oh there you are!" Out flew a little fairy. All of the other fairies gasped.

"It's Tinker Bell!" Mayah gasped. Tink was wearing a ponytail instead of her bun, but otherwise she looked the same as she did 71 years ago.

Tinker Bell stared at Mayah. "Mayah? You're alive?" she asked. Mayah realized that Tink hadn't been there when she had returned to Pixie Hollow for the first time.

"Yes," Mayah said. "I'm so glad to see you again!"

Next, Tinker Bell turned to Tinkerberry. "Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm Tinkerberry," Tinkerberry said. "I was born last year. And you're Tinker Bell? Fairy Mary talks about you all the time!"

Tinker Bell giggled. "I assume you're a tinker," she said.

"Yes!" Tinkerberry said. "Have you seen that bouncy contraption outside? It's amazing!"

"You mean the trampoline?" Tink asked. "Yes, it is pretty cool. I once tried to build a miniature one, but a chicken ate it before I could finish it."

"What a bummer," Tinkerberry said.

Tinker Bell noticed Cassy. "I haven't seen you in a while!" she said. "You were just born when I left!"

"Hi," said Cassy. "Oh, and those suction shoes that you said were a flop? They actually stick to smooth things like plastic!"

"Nice," Tink said.

Grace tapped Tink. "Okay, tinker, time to go!"

Tinker Bell smiled and flew outside with the other fairies.

"How did you meet Grace?" Mayah wondered.

"Well," said Tink, "I was flying to the mainland a few years ago when I was grabbed out of the sky by a girl. It was Grace. She didn't put me in a cage like when Lizzy found me; she just brought me to her room. She seemed like a really nice kid, so I stayed."

"Wow!" Mayah said.

Rachel and Grace exchanged bewildered looks. "They sure are jingling a lot," Rachel said.

All of the fairies burst out laughing. If only they knew!

"Can you understand the fairy language?" asked Rachel.

Grace paused. "Well, sometimes I catch a word, but I don't really understand."

Rachel giggled. "I can't understand any of it!"

A few minutes later, Grace, Rachel, and all nine fairies were on the trampoline. The fairies were bouncing high, and Grace and Rachel were giggling.

"Let's bring Callie the kitten on the trampoline!" Grace said.

"Great idea!" Rachel agreed.

Mayah flew off the trampoline, shivering.

"What's wrong?" asked Tinker Bell.

Mayah said in a shaky voice, "I'm scared of cats."

"Cats are awesome!" Cassy's voice rang out.

Even Melon wasn't scared. "It's just a baby," she said.

Tinker Bell put her arm around Mayah. "It's okay," she said. "I was scared of cats for a while, but once you get used to them they aren't so bad."

"What about Lizzy's cat?" Mayah said. "You said it was a monster!"

Tinker Bell's smile wavered. "That was a grumpy cat," she said. "Some cats are mean. Most are very nice, though."

"What are you talking about?" Cassy asked. "I've never met an animal that didn't like me!"

Tinker Bell groaned. "You're an _animal_ fairy."

Mayah came on the trampoline and took a tiny step towards Callie. The kitten mewed, and Mayah jumped back.

Tinker Bell said, "You should watch out for grumpy old Teddy, but the other cats are super friendly."

After a lot of convincing, the fairies got Mayah to touch Callie.

"Soft," Mayah said, not looking convinced.

Callie purred, and Mayah flew over the edge of the trampoline, shaking. "She growled at me!" Mayah said.

Cassy groaned. "That's called a purr," she explained. "Cats make it when they're happy."

The animal fairy flew over to Callie the cat, and she rubbed its tummy and lay on the kitten. Callie purred like crazy.

"Meow, maow maow rauw mew, mew rauw mew mew rauw," Cassy told the cat.

"Mew, mew, mew, mew, mew!" answered the kitten.

Cassy smiled at Mayah. "I asked her if she liked you, and she said that she liked it when you touched her!" Cassy said.

Mayah frowned. "I'm still not going over there."

"Suit yourself," Cassy said, flying over to the kitty to play.

Rachel laughed. "Cassy really likes the kitten!" she said.

"Tinker Bell, come over here!" Grace said.

Tink flew over.

"You want to play with Callie?" Grace asked.

Tink nodded. She went over to Callie and petted her gently.

"Mew," Callie meowed.

Cassy looked shocked. "Don't say that!" she said.

"What did she say?" Tinker Bell wondered.

Cassy said, "She said that 'the little girl with the green leaf and the fluttery things on her back has messy fur.' By fur she means hair."

Tink laughed. "My hair is a mess."

Then, the talented tinker put her hair up in a bun.

Soon, Callie got bored of the trampoline and hopped off.

"Good job!" Cassy said.

"Meow," Callie mewed.

Mayah flew back onto the trampoline. Grace and Rachel began to bounce again. The fairies laughed and bounced too.

"Mayah, you're chicken," Breeze said playfully.

Cassy glared at her. "Chickens are actually very brave," she retorted.

"Hey! I wasn't trying to offend the chickens!" Breeze said.

A rooster crowed.

"Yes, I know you love all your hens," Cassy called to the rooster.

All of the fairies laughed, and had a good time.


	22. A Messy Calf

The next day, Mayah was very excited. Rachel's parents were going to let Rachel go to Grace's house every day until they left! That meant that all of the fairies were going to go too!

They went over to Grace's house. Grace had to do chores. She was going to feed her bottle calf. Cassy, who really wanted to meet a cow, decided to come along. The other fairies did their own things. Tinkerberry and Tinker Bell chatted and tried to make a trampoline. Unfortunately, the cats kept smashing their efforts.

"I see the calf!" Rachel said. "It's so cute!"

Grace nodded. "Be careful," she said. "Although my calf is a cute one, he's a little messy and wild."

"I don't care," Cassy jingled.

Soon, they could hear the calf.

"Moo, moo!" the calf mooed.

Cassy smiled and said, "Moo, moo, moo!"

"Moo," replied the calf.

Cassy smiled and saw the calf. "He's so cute!" she cried.

Grace put the bottle in the calf's mouth. It sucked milk, getting milk all over! The milk even got on top of its head!

"Cassy, don't go near that gross calf," Rachel said.

Cassy frowned. She really wanted to pet it. Seeing Rachel's disgusted look, she decided not to.

"Moo," Cassy said sadly.

"Moo-moo," the calf mooed back.

After that, Rachel and Grace went away. Cassy followed rather reluctantly. She brightened up, though, when she heard what Rachel said.

"Cassy, let's go watch my cousin milk a goat!" Rachel said.

Cassy beamed and flew alongside Rachel. Rachel walked away from Grace and went to the goat pen. Cassy petted a bunch of nanny goats.

"Maa," one goat bleated.

Cassy giggled. "Maa, maa!" she told the goat.

Then, Rachel went to the milking shed. She watched her cousin lead the goat up the ramp and to the milking station. The goat started eating the food, and Grace's sister shut the head clamp.

Cassy watched as the milk came through the tubes and went into the bucket. She thought that she would like to try goat milk. In Pixie Hollow, the fairies usually drank water or mouse milk. Cassy liked to milk the mice. Animal fairies would milk the dairy mice.

After Rachel's cousin finished milking the goat, she said, "If you want to try some goat milk, you probably should try some of the stuff in the fridge. It tastes better when it's cold."

Rachel agreed to do that, and she and Cassy went to the house. They met up with Grace, and Rachel said, "I want to try some goat milk."

"Me too!" Cassy said. Grace poured a glass for Rachel. Cassy had not been understood.

Cassy sighed and flew outside. She gave a pat to Peep-Peep the duckling, and called out, "Fairies! We're having some refreshments!"

All of the other fairies flew in the house. Tinker Bell saw the goat milk. She got Grace's attention and pretended to drink a glass.

"Oh!" Grace exclaimed. "She wants some milk."

Tink pointed to the other fairies. They all pretended to drink from a glass too.

"I'll pour you all a cup of milk," Grace told them.

Rachel took a tiny sip of goat milk. She suddenly gave a huge smile. "THIS IS SO GOOD!" she shouted.

Cassy took a sip. "It's sweeter than cow's milk, but not as sweet as mouse milk. I like it!"

Tink smiled. "It's good, isn't it?"

Breeze sipped it and spit it out. "Ick! This is gross!" she said.

Sophie tried it. "Yum!" she said.

Tinkerberry took a drink. "It's okay," she said.

Dewdrop drank some. "I don't really care for it," she said. "Water's much better."

Mayah sipped some. "M-m, this is delicious!" she said.

Melon tried it. "Blech!" she said.

Elsie took a sip. "It's good!" she giggled.

All of the fairies who liked the milk drank the rest of it. Tinker Bell drank some, too. Cassy smiled. "This is so good," she sighed.

Soon, it was time to go back to Rachel's grandma's house. The fairies followed Rachel into the back of the pickup and sat on the wheel bump. Rachel sat on the other one, and Grace sat on the floor.

When they got back to Rachel's grandma's house, the fairies sat in the TV room while the people ate supper.

"How long have you lived with Grace?" wondered Breeze.

Tink frowned. "Maybe two years?" she said. "I think I've been here for two winters, but I'm not sure. The days all seem to run together."

Mayah smiled. "I get what you mean," she said. "Do you remember the day you arrived?"

Tink smiled. "I remember when I first lifted my head. None of my memories ever fade."

"Mine don't either," Mayah said. "Even the ones I don't really want to remember."

Sophie smiled. "I think all fairies have memories that will never fade," she said. "Queen Clarion once told me that while humans' memories get blurry after a while, fairies' memories always stay crystal clear."

"Is Queen Clarion the first fairy that ever arrived?" asked Melon.

"I don't know," Tink said. "I've never asked her."

Suddenly, Grace and Rachel burst into the room. Pie was around their lips. Anyone could see that they really liked the dessert that was served.

"My mom said that we could go swimming in the cow tank!" Rachel shouted.

Grace smiled. "My mom said we could, too. Grandma said we could, too!"

Tink, Trinity, Cassy, Mayah, Sophie, Elsie, Melon, and Breeze groaned. None of them liked swimming. It got their wings wet, and they were always in serious danger of drowning if they went swimming.

However, Dewdrop was a water fairy, and she cheered. "Let's go!" she cried happily.

Grace and Rachel only heard jingles. "Raise your hand if you want to go swimming," Rachel suggested.

Dewdrop was the only one who raised her hand. "Me! Me! Me!" she called for good measure, even though neither human girl could understand her.

"Just Dewdrop?" said Grace. "Okay, that's fine."

Dewdrop waited while the two cousins got into their swimming suits. The fairies were chatting together.

"Why don't any of you want to go swimming with me?" Dewdrop asked.

"It's dangerous," all of the other fairies said simultaneously.

They didn't have time to talk anymore, because just then, Grace and Rachel walked in. The two girls waited for Dewdrop to fly next to them, and then they went out the door. The barefoot children raced to the pool. Dewdrop fluttered after them. She landed delicately on the water, and did some water ballet. When she was done, she picked up a water drop. She crafted it into a bubble with air inside. She made a few more, and put them around her neck like a necklace. Then, the little fairy dove underwater. She was dragged down, but that was fine with her, because she had a good air supply.

Grace and Rachel hopped into the cow tank, making a big splash. Dewdrop walked around on the bottom of the tank. After quite a while, she would take an air bubble and pop it in her mouth, giving her a good air supply that would last her a while.

Rachel was looking at the house. "Uh-oh," she said.

"What?" asked Grace. Then she saw what Rachel was pointing at.

"Oh, no," Grace groaned. Her brother, in his swimming trunks, was coming towards the pool.

"Dewdrop!" Rachel cried. She picked the fairy up out of the water. "Fly over to that tree!"

Rachel let go of Dewdrop. Instead of flying, Dewdrop fell with a plop into the tank. Too late, Rachel remembered that fairies are unable fly with wet wings.

"I'll just stay under here," Dewdrop whispered. "Hopefully he won't see me."

While Dewdrop had been falling, she had hastily made many bubbles. She was grateful for that, because she did not know how long she would have to stay under.

"Don't splash me!" Rachel called as Grace's brother plunged into the water. A big splash soaked both Grace and Rachel. When Grace's brother stood up, Grace was glaring at him.

"I'm going to splash you!" Grace cried. She made a huge splash that hit her brother in the face. The siblings splashed each other crazily, while Rachel tried not to get hit. Dewdrop was dodging the hands that scooped up water, hoping that she would not be included in one of the splashes.

 _Foom!_ A hand narrowly missed Dewdrop's face. Another hit her soaked wing. One propelled her out of the water. Her firm body hit Rachel in the face. "Ouch!" Rachel cried. Realizing that it was Dewdrop, Rachel grabbed the little fairy and threw her onto a towel to dry.

Dewdrop tried to fly, but her wings hung limply at her sides. She then gave up. Her wings drooped down with the heavy weight of the water. She watched the splashing fight, noticing that neither human was giving up. Rachel finally joined in. She hurled a big amount of water at her cousins, who decided to splash back.

After a while, Dewdrop's wings were dry. She flew up to the house, and stopped short. She could not open the door. Thinking quickly, she hurled herself at the doorbell. It rang, and soon, Rachel's aunt opened the door. Dewdrop flew in unnoticed. She went to where the fairies were talking.

"Dewdrop! You're back!" Melon said happily.

Dewdrop smiled. "Yep," she said. "I stayed under the water for a while. Rani would be impressed."

Whenever Dewdrop went to Pixie Hollow, she would meet up with Rani, who was teaching her how to swim. Rani was the only fairy who could swim, because she did not have wings to drag her down. So far, Dewdrop was great at staying underwater for long lengths of time.

Soon, a soaking wet Rachel came in the house. She dried herself off, and then she changed into her regular clothes. Grace soon followed. After the two girls were dry, they went over to the fairies and told them a plan.

"Tinker Bell, I'm letting you stay overnight at Grandma's house with your friends," Grace said.

"Yes!" Tink said.

Rachel was next. "I will not let you get lost, Tink," she said. "Please don't run off and get stuck in some hole."

"I won't," Tink said.

Rachel looked at her. "I hope you said that you wouldn't get lost," Rachel said. "Grace would be very sad."

Tinker Bell smiled at Rachel. Her bun had come loose again, so it was in a ponytail. She nodded her head to show that she would not get lost.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Grace said, giving Tink a hug.

Soon, it was time for Rachel's cousins to go home. They all went out the door, and Tinker Bell flew into the air.

After Rachel went to bed, Tink said, "We need to make a surprise for Grace."

Tinkerberry smiled. "I found some pulleys around here," she said.

"Awesome!" Tink smiled. "Let's get to work."

The two tinker fairies got busy. They built and tinkered, and soon they had a pulley system that would pull a banner up. The banner said Grace Is A Great Girl, and on the back, it said Made by Tinker Bell and Tinkerberry. The fairies were proud of their work, and waited to see what Grace would think of it the next day.


	23. Fairy Camp

When Rachel woke up the next day, she went into the computer room. She saw Tinkerberry and Tinker Bell. They were sleeping by their pulley system. The rest of the fairies were all sleeping on the piano bench.

"What's this?" Rachel wondered. "Did the tinker fairies make it?"

The sound of Rachel's voice woke the fairies up. Tinker Bell looked around. She was disoriented at first, but then she remembered where she was.

"Did you make this?" asked Rachel.

Tink and Trinity nodded. Rachel beamed. "It's amazing!"

Tinkerberry started working the pulleys. The banner rose up. Rachel read the words.

"Grace is really going to like this," Rachel giggled.

Soon, Rachel's cousins came over. Grace saw the banner. "Wow!" she said. "Tinkerberry and Tinker Bell, you made this for me?"

Both tinker fairies nodded.

"Thank you!" Grace said happily. "I can tell you're both very talented fairies."

Tink smiled proudly. She worked the pulleys. The banner lowered. Then it rose up again.

"Cool!" Grace exclaimed.

Tinker Bell smiled. "Thanks," she said.

"I think Tinker Bell knows where the fairy camp around here is," Grace said to Rachel. "Maybe we could go on an expedition!"

Tinker Bell frowned. "Uh-oh," she said. "If the humans found the fairy camp, it would spell disaster for the fairies."

"But Rachel is very nice!" Mayah protested.

"I know," Tinker Bell explained, "but they could break many of our delicate things we make for the camp. Their feet are big, and so are their hands. If they broke something important, summer could go very wrong."

Mayah nodded. "I understand," she said.

"Where is the fairy camp around here?" wondered Melon.

Tink said, "You know the tree that the humans climb in? The camp is in that tree. It's very high up, so the humans can't get to it."

"Good place," Sophie remarked.

Soon, the cousins were going outside with the fairies. They ran out the door and skidded to a stop.

"Tinker Bell, show us where the fairy camp is!" Grace cried.

Tink panicked. "What do I do?"

Breeze smiled. "Lead them somewhere very far from the fairy camp."

Tink nodded and pointed in the direction of the potato field. She led the humans on a wild goose-chase while the other fairies flew to the fairy camp.

"Hello?" Mayah called. A fairy flew out. A confused look was on his face.

"You're not assigned to this camp, are you?" asked the fairy. "I'm Clank."

"No, we're not," Mayah said. "We are on a trip with Rachel the human. We are just visiting."

Clank's face brightened. "Oh! Visiting!" he said with a smile. "You're a garden fairy, right? I can show you to one of the garden fairies assigned to here."

Clank took Mayah through a leafy door and showed her the camp. The other fairies followed.

"Lily!" Clank called.

A garden fairy with dark skin and curly brown hair flew over to Clank. "Yes?" she said.

"This fairy is a visiting garden fairy!" Clank said. "Care to show her around?"

Lily looked at Mayah. "Hi there!" she said with a smile. "So you're visiting, right? I'll show you what our main task is today."

Melon asked, "Can I come along too?"

"Of course!" Lily said. "Your friends can go find the fairies from their talent groups. Clank will show them where to go."

Mayah and Melon smiled. They followed Lily.

"Today, the garden fairies are ripening black raspberries," Lily said.

Mayah grinned. "Those are so good!" she said.

"Yes, they are," Lily smiled. "We can eat one while we work, but we have to leave most of them for the humans."

"Okay," Mayah said. "I'll get full after one anyways."

Lily led the garden fairies to the black raspberry patch. Garden fairies were ripening the berries. Mayah recognized Chloe.

"Hi, Chloe!" Mayah called out.

"Oh! Hi, Mayah!" Chloe called. "Are you assigned to this camp?"

"No, we're visiting with Rachel," Mayah replied.

Chloe smiled. "Okay!" she said.

Mayah flew to a berry and ripened it up. She picked it and ate it. "Yum!" she said.

"It's good, right?" Chloe remarked.

Suddenly, a scout fairy that was watching over the patch called out, "Humans are coming!"

All of the fairies hid in the prickly berry vines. Mayah saw Rachel and Grace coming. Tinker Bell was leading them through the patch.

"Mayah? Fairies?" Rachel called. "Where did you go?"

Melon frowned. Rachel was looking for them.

A while later, Mayah and Melon finished ripening up berries. They decided to go back to camp and find their friends.

"Thanks for helping!" Lily said with a grin.

Mayah and Melon flew back to camp. They found all of the other fairies that lived with Rachel and went out of the camp.

"I'm beat," Breeze said. "Vidia and I have been racing nonstop, and she keeps winning!"

The fairies landed in Grace's fairy garden. Mayah leaned against a rock and wiped her brow.

Soon, along came Rachel and Grace. "Oh, there you are!" Rachel called. "I've been looking all _over_ for you!"

"Sorry," Tink said. "I didn't know where you were."

Rachel picked up the fairies, and they went inside. They had lots of fun, and the fairies were happy with the day. Soon it was night, and the fairies fell asleep.


	24. A Sad Goodbye

All too soon, it was time to go home. Tinker Bell was sad. She didn't really want her friends to leave, but they did have to get home.

"Goodbye, Tinker Bell," Mayah said. She gave Tink a huge hug, willing herself not to frown.

"I'll miss you," Tink said. "Maybe I'll see you in Pixie Hollow."

Mayah smiled. "Yeah," she said.

"I haven't been there for a few years," Tink said. "Is it much different?"

"Not really," Mayah said. "I mean, there are new fairies, but the place is pretty much the same."

"Okay," Tink said.

Tinker Bell shared tearful goodbyes with Sophie, Dewdrop, Cassy, Elsie, Melon, Breeze, and Tinkerberry. Tinkerberry was the saddest of all.

"Oh, Tinker Bell, you've taught me so much," Tinkerberry cried. "I'm so sad to leave. It was wonderful having another tinker around."

"Yeah," Tink said.

Mayah flew over to Tinker Bell. "Remember the time when we flew far down the path, and there was lots of mud? We saw tracks; I think they were bird and raccoon tracks, like a story. Then you flew down and put in your footprints. We made fairy footprints, and we thought that Rachel's grandpa would have a hard time figuring out what kinds of footprints they were."

"I remember that!" Tink said. "That was fun. I remember the next day the mud was dry, and we still saw our footprints!"

"Yeah," Mayah said. She had to fly away so she would not cry.

Tinker Bell gave Breeze a hug. "You remind me so much of Vidia," Tink said.

Breeze smiled proudly. "I learned from the best!" she said.

Grace and Rachel were having a tearful goodbye. "I'll see you soon," Rachel cried. "At least, as soon as we come back."

All of the fairies that lived with Rachel gave Grace a hug. "I'll miss you," Mayah jingled.

The room was soon filled with the sad, bell-like melody of fairies crying. Rachel and Grace were crying too. Mayah cried, but her smile was still there. She had to work to keep the smile up.

Finally, Rachel's parents had packed the car up. It was pretty stuffed. When Rachel added her backpack, she could barely wiggle her toes. The fairies sat by the window and waved to Tinker Bell. The little tinker waved and cried, "Goodbye!" even though nobody could hear her very well.

They were on the road again. The gravel soon turned to paved roads, and Rachel said goodbye to the farmland she loved. They had to stop every few hours for someone to use the bathroom, and the fairies grew sleepy. Elsie, already feeling a bit faint from the heat, fell asleep first. The others soon followed, dreaming of their memories on the farm.

It was late when they finally arrived home. Rachel stretched her sore bottom and went inside her house. The fairies followed. It smelled funny in the house, like how houses always smell after a long trip. The fairies flew over to the toy castle that they stayed in, and promptly fell asleep. Soon, everyone was sleeping, glad to be home, but a little sad, too.


	25. A New Camp

A few weeks after the return home, Tinkerberry looked around the yard. She felt something was missing. Suddenly, she realized that the little fairy camp checkpoint that Elsie had been found at was gone! Upon closer inspection, she saw that it had been run over by a lawn mower.

"Oh no!" Tinkerberry cried.

Rachel was outside. Tinkerberry got her attention.

"What is it, Tinkerberry?" asked Rachel.

Tinkerberry found a stick and wrote in the dirt, **WE NEED TO MAKE ANOTHER FAIRY CAMP. THE OTHER ONE GOT RUN OVER BY A LAWN MOWER.**

"Oh no!" Rachel said. "I think my daddy has a box we can use."

He did have a box. Rachel came back outside, looking very pleased with herself. In her arms was a sizeable brown cardboard box.

Tinkerberry showed Rachel where she wanted it, and then she began checking it out. It was a nice box, able to fit many fairies. It was, however, cold and uninviting. Tinkerberry would change that.

First, Tinkerberry wrote in the dirt, **ROCK**. Rachel brought a square cement block over.

"That'll work," Tinkerberry said to herself. She pointed to the middle of the box. Rachel set the block there.

Tinkerberry found some leaves. She decided to make a nice carpet. She arranged them on the floor of the box. As she thought about how she would stick them there, she remembered glue.

Glue was amazing to the little tinker. Instead of having to stick things with liquid tree sap, you could squeeze the white, sticky liquid out of a handy bottle. Glue was not as runny as water, but it was runnier than sap, which was useful if you needed to spread it. The best thing was that Rachel had a nearly full bottle of glue.

Tinkerberry grabbed a stick and wrote, **GLUE**.

Rachel smiled. "You want some glue? Okay!"

Soon, she was back with the glue. Tinkerberry guided the bottle as Rachel squeezed. Then she put the leaves on it.

"Hmm, it needs something to tell fairies that it is a camp," Tinkerberry mused. The box looked very much like human doing. Fairies would not recognize it as a camp.

Suddenly Tinkerberry brightened. She found a stick and wrote **PEN** in the dirt.

"Okay, I'll get you a pen," Rachel said. She ran inside for a moment, and then came back out with a pen.

Tinkerberry wrote on the box. In slanting, awkward letters, she wrote, _FAIRY CAMP. MADE BY TINKERBERRY, THE TINKER FAIRY._ The little fairy then returned the pen and glue to Rachel.

Then, Tinkerberry let the glue dry. The little fairy was very satisfied with her work.


	26. Fairies Arrive

A few hours later, Mayah and her friends went outside. Tinkerberry looked at the fairy camp. The glue was probably dry by now.

Sophie pulled on Rachel's sleeve. "Let's go to the fairy camp!" she said excitedly. Her dress, a yellow Starburst wrapper, was tattered and torn. Sophie was hoping to get a new dress soon.

"Did you say something?" Rachel asked.

Sophie groaned. **Let's go to the fairy camp** , she burned into the sidewalk.

"Okay!" Rachel said.

The light fairy and the human went over to the fairy camp. Rachel stopped short.

"Another fairy!" Rachel cried in delight.

The fairy had light brown skin and long black hair in a ponytail. Her earrings were made of pixie dust, and her brown eyes were frightened.

"I'm Sophie," Sophie said. "What is your name?"

"Sh-Sh-Shimmer," the fairy said through chattering teeth. Shimmer was very frightened.

"Have you ever seen a human?" asked Sophie kindly.

Shimmer said, "No, I haven't. Is that giant behind you a human?"

"Yes," Sophie said. "She's really very kind."

Shimmer looked uncertain. She stayed absolutely still, seeming like a possum playing dead. Sophie flew into the camp and gave Shimmer a hug.

"What is the fairy's name?" Rachel asked Sophia.

Sophie took a stick and wrote in the dirt, **Shimmer**.

"What a pretty name!" Rachel said in delight.

Shimmer's dress sparkled. Sophie realized that it was made from a yellow leaf coated in pixie dust. Intricate swirls lined the bottom. It was really more of a skirt, because Shimmer's half-shirt, made out of a yellow leaf and pixie dust, did not go down to the skirt of the outfit. Suddenly, Shimmer began to cry out.

"Amos! Alleviate anew! Appease alive avow, aback adhere are acumens around!" Shimmer babbled.

Sophie looked on with fright. Shimmer was completely still, except for her moving lips. These words made no sense. Sophie wondered if Shimmer had gone mad.

"Shimmer? Are you okay?" Sophie asked worriedly.

"Ayes, air am-I mean, yes, I am," Shimmer said. "That was a code my sister and I use."

Sophie smiled. "So you have a sister?"

"Yes," Shimmer said. "We were born of the same laugh."

Sophie nodded. Then she asked, "What did those code words mean?"

"Moss! Leave now! Please leave now, because there are humans around!" replied Shimmer. "That was so that the human would not understand."

"Oh, you don't have to speak in code," Sophie explained. "The humans can't understand fairy talk. All they hear are jingles, like a bell."

Shimmer visibly relaxed. "Whew," she sighed.

Rachel put her hand in the box. She tried to pick up Shimmer, but the fairy dodged the girl's fingers. Rachel frowned.

 **She is scared!** Sophie wrote in the dirt.

Rachel read the words. "Oh! I'm so sorry... Shimmer, right?"

Sophie nodded. Shimmer didn't move a muscle.

Rachel tilted the sign on the top of the box. As she did so, she gave a shout of surprise.

"Oh my gosh! It's another fairy!" Rachel exclaimed, pointing to the fairy on the roof.

Sophie flew up to the roof. The fairy had brown eyes in the exact shade of Shimmer's eyes. She had lighter skin, and her nut-brown hair was in a complicated hairstyle. There was a bun at the top, and the rest of her hair cascaded down her back. Her large wings were still. The fairy wore a turquoise leaf top, which had designs sewn in spider silk. Her skirt was not loose like Shimmer's. Instead it was tight, with an indentation down the middle. It was turquoise, too, and had designs sewn into it. The fairy was so still; she almost looked dead, except for the tiny movements that her eyes made.

"Hi, I'm Sophie," Sophie said. "What is your name?"

The fairy did not move her lips, but words came out. "My name is Moss," she said. "Is Shimmer alright? There is a human about."

"Shimmer's fine," Sophie said. "She is very scared, but she is okay. That human is very nice, and she will not hurt you."

Very discreetly, Moss held up a hand. She said, "Do not move. I can hear very large animals running. They could be dangerous."

Sophie wondered how the fairy could hear anything, for Sophie did not. Suddenly, the back door burst open, and out ran two dogs.

"Oh no! The dogs!" cried Sophie. "They live upstairs in the house, and they are coming out!"

Moss said, "Stay absolutely still. Do not move a muscle."

Sophie stayed still. The dogs ran over to the fairy camp, curious. They sniffed it and the fairies, but they did not hurt them. Then, the dogs lost interest, and ran off to do something else.

Soon, they went back upstairs. Sophie was shaking, but Moss seemed not to be afraid. Sophie flew down to Shimmer, who was shivering.

"Shimmer, they are gone," Sophie said.

The other fairies, who were in the fairy house, flew over. They all got introduced. After a lot of coaxing, Moss flew over to Rachel. Rachel picked up the fairy, smiling. Shimmer, who was not afraid anymore, soon followed.

"You two look very similar," commented Breeze.

Moss smiled. "We're sisters," she said. "Shimmer is a few minutes older than me, as the pixie dust was poured on her first."

"I'm a dust-keeper fairy," Shimmer said. "I got to watch my sister, the fluff, be transformed into a fairy. It was all very exciting."

"I wanted to be the same talent as Shimmer," Moss said, "but it was not so. I am a scout fairy, with keen senses. Nyx says that I'm one of the best."

"Amazing!" Sophie said. "So that is how you were able to hear the dogs coming?"

Moss nodded. "Myka and I practice searching a lot," she said.

"Do you want to live with us?" asked Mayah.

"Okay," the sisters answered at the same time. Then they laughed.

Now there were ten fairies living with Rachel. It was a bit crowded, but now the tiny amount of fairies was growing larger. Everyone was happy.


	27. Pixie Dust

A few days later, Shimmer flew outside. The other fairies had been complaining about the long flight to Pixie Hollow just to get more dust. Mayah was the most upset. She had flown to Pixie Hollow to get dust, and she got a cup of pixie dust. But by the time she had got home, she had already run out! It was irritating to all of the fairies.

Shimmer flew over to a tree. Dubbed "The Climbing Tree" by all of the neighborhood children, it would be a good tree. Shimmer grabbed her bag with precious blue dust, and flew to the top of the tree. It would have to be at the top, so that none of the children would see.

Shimmer took out the specks of blue pixie dust and put them in the tree. With a careful hand, she put them together. With a whoosh, pixie dust began to flow from the tree! Shimmer smiled at the job well done. No human could know.

Shimmer flew into the house. "Fairies! I have a surprise for you!" she called. Her wings began to sparkle, and she knew that Moss was near.

"What is it?" Moss asked.

Shimmer did not say a word. She led the fairies outside. Melon frowned. "I'm running low on dust," she said.

The garden fairy was starting to go up and down, for she did not have enough dust to hold her weight. Shimmer quickened her pace. Soon, she arrived at the climbing tree. Melon was still flying. Suddenly, she dropped from the sky and landed on a branch.

"Melon?" Mayah said worriedly. She picked up her friend and flew up to the top of the tree. The other fairies were already there.

"Pixie dust!" Melon cried happily. She ran to the stream of dust and sat under it, letting the pixie dust bathe her like a shower. Soon, she was flying again.

"But... how?" asked Breeze. She was getting dust on her fast wings.

"Fairy Gary gives each dust-keeper fairy 26 specks of blue pixie dust in case of emergencies," Shimmer replied. "I used mine to create this stream of dust!"

"Thank you!" Mayah cried, giving Shimmer a huge hug. "Now we don't have to fly all the way back to Pixie Hollow to get more pixie dust!"

Shimmer beamed. "You are certainly welcome!" she said.

Breeze was grinning. "This is flitterific! I can get way more than just a cup of pixie dust!"

"You remind me of Vidia," Cassy said, rolling her eyes.

Breeze beamed, taking that as a compliment.

A few weeks later, Mayah was going outside with Rachel.

"Let's see if there are more fairies in the fairy camp," Rachel said.

Mayah was so excited, she flew too fast at the fairy camp. She could not stop in time, and whizzed right through the fence!

Mayah's ankle whammed into the ground, and a sharp pain twisted through it. She screamed, "Ouch!"

Mayah tried to fly back through the fence, but her ankle hurt so much that all she could do was lie down and moan in agony. Rachel reached her hand through the fence, but she just couldn't reach the fairy. Mayah was crying, but she was still grinning. She had gone through worse, so she could keep smiling. It was a wan smile, but she was still smiling.

"Mayah! Fly back through the fence!" Rachel cried. Mayah held up her ankle and pointed to it.

"Did you hurt your ankle?" Rachel asked. "Oh, no, not now! I have to get to you!"

Mayah managed to scoot a little closer to Rachel. Rachel's fingertips brushed Mayah's wing. Rachel grabbed on and pulled. It hurt her wing, but Mayah was finally back through the fence.

"Oh, what will we do?" Rachel said, clearly feeling compassion for the fairy. "I'd better get a splint for it."

Rachel broke a piece of grass from the ground and wrapped it around Mayah's sore foot. She tied it at the back, and Mayah felt a tiny bit better.

Moss, who was outside, noticed her friend's splint. "Is everything alright?" wondered Moss.

"I think I twisted my ankle," Mayah groaned, with pain in her voice.

Moss's eyes narrowed, and her wings began to sparkle. Inside, Shimmer's wings sparkled too.

"Moss needs me!" exclaimed Shimmer, and she flew outside. She saw Moss looking at her.

"Is anything wrong?" asked Shimmer.

Moss said, "I need you to go get some pixie dust. And hurry!"

Shimmer nodded and flew to the climbing tree. She grabbed a leaf and filled it with pixie dust. Tying it up, she flew back to her sister.

"Here," she said.

Moss said, "Give it to Mayah."

Shimmer did, and Mayah poured it on her foot. Gradually, the pain in her ankle subsided, and Mayah was feeling better. She turned a loop in the sky. "Thank you, Shimmer!" Mayah called to her friend. It was a great ending to a fun day.


	28. The Lost Fairies

One day, Rachel and her family were going somewhere for the whole day. They left the fairies behind. "I'll be back soon!" promised Rachel.

Once the humans were out of the house, Breeze did a triple flip. "We have the whole house to ourselves!" she cried.

Mayah glared at her, still smiling. It was a strange expression. "Breeze," Mayah said, "we are _not_ messing anything up in this house. I suggest a trip to Pixie Hollow."

Everyone agreed to go. It was a good idea, since they had not been there for a while. The fairies flew to the climbing tree, where Shimmer stocked them up on pixie dust for the trip ahead.

All ten fairies flew through the sky. They made sure that none of the humans saw them, although most of them were busy on their phones. Soon, they got to Pixie Hollow.

Chipper, a tinker fairy, called out to Tinkerberry. "Hey, Trinity! Come over here! There's somebody I want you to meet!"

"Has a new tinker arrived?" wondered Tinkerberry. "I'd better go check this out."

Tinkerberry flew over to Chipper. Chipper pointed. There, in Tinker's Nook, stood a fairy. The fairy turned around, and Tinkerberry grinned.

"Tinker Bell!" cried Tinkerberry. Tink saw her friend and flew over, engulfing Tinkerberry in a hug.

"I really missed you!" cried Tinkerberry. "It's not the same without another tinker fairy around."

"I missed you too," Tinker Bell said. "Hey, have you made that grass trampoline yet?"

"No," Tinkerberry said sadly. "I can't figure out how to make the springs."

Both fairies became aware that Chipper was staring at them.

"How do you know Tinker Bell?" wondered Chipper. "She was not here when you were born!"

"Tink lives with Rachel's cousin," replied Tinkerberry. "I got to meet her when we went there."

Chipper nodded. "I'm so glad you got to meet her. We are so happy that she came back today. It's not the same without her! Tink really is the best tinker. No offense, Tinkerberry."

"I'm not offended," Tinkerberry replied. "I know that Tink is a better tinker than me."

"You'll get as good as me someday," Tinker Bell told her friend. "You haven't been around as long as me."

"I'm so glad we happened to come to Pixie Hollow on the same day!" Trinity said. "I'll call my friends."

All ten of the fairies were soon over there. They were all overjoyed to see Tinker Bell. Even Shimmer and Moss were excited. Although they had not met Tinker Bell, stories of her fame traveled fast around Pixie Hollow.

"How is Callie doing?" asked Cassy.

"She's bigger," Tink said. "I wish you were there so you could tell me what she was meowing about!"

Cassy giggled.

Everyone else chatted with Tink, and then, Tinker Bell grinned.

"I know that grin," Chipper said. "You have a great idea."

Tink smiled. "You got that," she said to Chipper.

Chipper had been around for longer than Tinker Bell. She was Tink's mentor. Although Tinker Bell had gotten better at tinkering than Chipper, they were still very good friends.

"Hey, Tinkerberry, would you like to go on an adventure?" asked Tink.

"Only if the others can come," Tinkerberry replied.

"Okay," said Tinker Bell. "Mayah, Melon, Dewdrop, Elsie, Breeze, Sophie, and Cassy can come too. And Shimmer and Moss."

"Great!" said Tinkerberry.

Tinker Bell smiled. "I'm bringing Peri, too."

Elsie smiled. "I can go get her," she said. The frost fairy's wings were frosted, so it was not a problem for her to flutter all over Pixie Hollow.

Elsie went into the Winter Woods. She said hello to Gliss and Spike. "Where's Peri?" wondered Elsie.

"She's in the Frost Forest," said Gliss. "When winter comes, she wants to be really good at frosting things."

Elsie went into the Frost Forest. She paused to frost a leaf, and then she saw Periwinkle.

"Hi!" Peri said. "I didn't know you were here today."

"Tink wants you to come over to the warm side," Elsie said. "I'll frost your wings for you."

Frost fairies can frost their own wings, but it is extremely difficult. It is much easier for another fairy to do it for them.

"That would be great!" Periwinkle said. "I didn't know that Tinker Bell was back. Was she running around with the Lost Boys and Peter Pan again?"

"No," Elsie said. "Tink lives with Rachel's cousin, Grace. She just came for a visit today."

Periwinkle smiled. The frost fairies flew out of the Winter Woods together. It was always strange to feel the comfortable cold weather change to almost unbearable heat. Fortunately, both fairies' wings were frosted.

The two fairies went to Tinker's Nook. Tinker Bell smiled when she saw her sister. With sparkling wings, the two embraced.

"I want to go on an adventure with you," Tinker Bell explained. "Tinkerberry and her friends are coming along."

"Wonderful!" Periwinkle smiled. "Do we have enough pixie dust?"

Tink nodded. "Terence gave me extra."

"He likes you," Periwinkle said.

"We're just friends," Tinker Bell said. "He was just really glad to see me after so long."

Then, Fairy Mary flew over to them. "I brought you some drinks," she said.

Tinker Bell grinned when she saw what it was. Hot chamomile tea.

"Thanks, Fairy Mary!" Tinker Bell smiled.

Periwinkle grinned at her sister. She took a cup. The tea was too hot for her, so she frosted it several times until it was cold enough to drink. Tink was already sipping her tea.

When they were done, Tinker Bell went to her house. She came back out a few minutes later wearing her long-sleeved dress. She had worn it when she went to find the magic mirror to fix the broken moonstone. Now, of course, the fairies always used the broken fragments, and they always got a lot of blue dust.

"Ready to go?" asked Tink.

All of her friends said yes, and they flew out of Pixie Hollow.

Along the way, Tinker Bell yelled, "It's Peter Pan!"

Breeze groaned. "We can't stop now!"

"Typical fast-flying fairy," Mayah muttered.

Tinker Bell flew over to the boy. Peter Pan's face lit up when he saw the fairy. "Hi, Tinker Bell!" he cried. "Have you come to live with us again?"

Tink shook her head. She pointed at her friends and pantomimed flying fast. Then she pointed north.

"Oh, you're going on a trip with your friends?" wondered Peter Pan. "I do wish you would come back. Wendy's all grown up, and so is her daughter! Even her grandkids are grown now. It's not fair."

Tink waved to the boy, and then went on her way. She met up with her friends.

"So that was Peter Pan," Periwinkle said. "He seems like a nice boy, but a little wild."

Tinker Bell nodded. "After a few years of living with him, I had to go back. You know, I missed you and all of my friends."

Peri smiled. "You live with Grace now, right? Will you ever really move back?"

"I don't know," Tink said. "She's a very kind girl. She reminds me of Lizzy. I imagine when she's grown, I will come back to Pixie Hollow."

Periwinkle frowned. "That's a long time," she said.

Suddenly, Elsie gasped. The fairies had flown out of Never Land. Now they were over the ocean.

"Oh, no," Sophie said. "If we fall in, we're doomed!"

Dewdrop was more relaxed. "If you fall in, I will save you."

Sophie managed a small smile. The little light fairy had always been wary of water. She did like making rainbows, but other than that, she never went near water.

"Don't worry," Tinker Bell said. "Dewdrop knows what she's doing."

Breeze cocked an eyebrow. "How do you know?" she asked.

"I've been a water fairy before, when Zarina threw that cyan dust on me," Tink explained.

"Okay, that makes me a little bit not so nervous, but I'm still scared," Sophie said fearfully. "Couldn't Silvermist, Cera, and Rani, and all of the water fairies come along?"

"No!" Tinker Bell cried. "That's ridiculous!"

"Ridiculous!" Peri said at the same time. Then, Tink and Peri giggled.

Mayah sighed. "Being a sister must be amazing," she said.

"Yep," said Tink and Periwinkle.

"You got that right," Shimmer and Moss said.

Tinker Bell suddenly pointed at an island. "Head for that island!" she cried.

Breeze and Sophie were in the lead. Sophie, flying quickly because she wanted to get on dry land, was only a little behind Breeze.

Breeze landed first. The island was beautiful. It was nearing autumn, and the trees were starting to turn color. It was still warm, and the fairies were smiling in the warm wind.

Suddenly, Tinkerberry gave a shout of surprise. She saw a tiny house, the right size for a fairy! Trinity wondered if any fairies lived on the island.

Tinker Bell put her feet down on the ground. She walked up to one of the houses and knocked. The door opened. A fairy with brown skin, dark brown hair, and brown eyes was there. She saw Tink and gave her a big hug.

Moss was looking at the fairy with critical eyes. This fairy looked different than other fairies that she had seen. The dark-skinned fairy was short, and she did not look grown, like Never fairies do. She looked a bit like a child. It was very strange to see a fairy that looked like a child, because fairies are born fully grown. The fairy's wings were different, too. They had spots and colored lines on them. Moss wondered if the fairy had fallen in to a mud pit.

Tinker Bell turned around. "This is my sister, Clara," she said.

Cassy gasped. "I thought you only had one sister!" she cried.

"When a baby laughs for the first time, the baby blows a whole dandelion," Tinker Bell explained. "Peri and I went to Pixie Hollow, while the other fluffs got blown to this island. Most fairies don't make it to Pixie Hollow, and it is even more rare for two fairies of the same laugh to make it. Usually the ones that don't make it end up here. Clara looks different than Never fairies, because she was born here. Fairies here look like children. Their wings are different too."

"I'm so glad that Tink and Peri have come for a visit!" Clara said. "I don't see them nearly often enough."

A face appeared at the window. It was a beautiful blonde fairy. Her blue eyes widened as she saw the fairies outside, and her face disappeared. A few minutes later, more fairies came out the door.

"Tinker Bell! Periwinkle!" they shouted. They all gave Tink and Peri a group hug. Mayah and her friends looked on in bewilderment.

Tink whispered something to the fairies, and they all stood straight. They stopped fluttering and lined up.

"This is my sister Golden," Tink said, pointing to the pretty blonde fairy. "She goes by Goldie."

Next, a redheaded fairy flew over. She had short red hair and brown eyes. Her light skin shone from the sun.

"This is Rosy," Tink said. "She is my sister."

Up flew a very young-looking fairy. "This is Sylva, my sister," Tink explained. Sylva had light blonde hair and brown eyes. She also had light skin.

Another fairy flew over. Melon was surprised to see that this fairy looked like a baby! Tinker Bell said, "This is my sister Euphemia. She goes by Squeak."

Breeze giggled. Squeak had brown hair and tan skin. Her brown eyes sparkled.

Clara went back into the house. She came out with a very young-looking fairy. This fairy looked like a baby, too. However, the little fairy was even smaller than Squeak!

"This is Noel," Tinker Bell said. "He is my only brother."

Noel had light skin and blue eyes. He did not have hair.

Mayah flew over to Rosy. "Are you a garden fairy?" she asked.

"Um, I don't know," Rosy replied.

Periwinkle flew over to Mayah. "My sisters on the island don't have talents. It's very different here, because they don't have talents. They don't even deliver seasons! It was very strange to me the first time Tink and I went here."

Mayah nodded. "I think it would be very strange not to have a talent."

Dewdrop flew over to Golden. "What do you do all day?" she asked.

"All sorts of things," Goldie replied. "We go swimming in the ocean sometimes."

Sophie was horrified. "Don't you drown?" she asked. "Your wings are even bigger than mine, so you could get dragged under even faster!"

Sylva spoke up. "We just take them off!" she said nonchalantly.

"WHAT?" Sophie cried.

Periwinkle explained. "They are very different from us. If they are very careful, they can take their wings off. I think that would be strange, but for them it's just a part of life!"

Mayah shuddered. She had visions of a wingless Lulu dying.

"My best friend died because a boy tore her wings off," Mayah said sadly.

"I'm so sorry!" Clara said. "That's terrible. If anybody ripped our wings off, we would die. You have to be very careful. It takes about an hour, too."

Breeze was incredulous. "That would be terrible to have your wings off! You couldn't even fly!"

Then, Breeze did several flips in the air at top speed. She then proceeded to fly around the island twice in two seconds flat.

"What is the name of this island, anyways?" wondered Shimmer.

"Sheepskerry Island," Rosy said.

Everyone nodded. They were glad to know the name of this island.

Suddenly, Sylva stood straight and tall. Soon, her sisters stood erect. May turned around, and she saw a fairy. The fairy stood tall and regal. A crown was upon her head, and she had golden wings.

"Who is that?" whispered Melon.

"It's Queen Mab," whispered Tink.

The queen of Sheepskerry Island smiled. "Tinker Bell! I'm glad you decided to pay us a visit!"

"I brought Periwinkle," Tink said. "I also brought along ten of my friends. Meet Mayah, Melon, Tinkerberry, Breeze, Elsie, Sophie, Dewdrop, Cassy, Moss, and Shimmer."

"Good to meet you," the queen said. "I must be on my way."

The queen flew away, and everyone was very happy to have seen the queen.


	29. An Incomplete Fluff

One day, Rachel and her family went camping. The fairies stayed home. While Rachel was camping, she spied a large dandelion fluff.

"Wow! Could this be a new fairy on its way to Never Land?" Rachel cried.

Rachel picked up the fluff. On closer inspection, she saw that the seed was broken off! Rachel's eyes welled up.

"It's an incomplete fairy," she cried. "The poor thing! It will be teased and ridiculed in Pixie Hollow!"

Rachel sat it down and wished. "I wish that this incomplete fluff will never get to Pixie Hollow and become a fairy!" Rachel cried.

Her wish echoed through the woods. Rachel suddenly was creeped out. Anyone could have heard it!

A few days later, Rachel came home. She was getting a cold, because it had been too cold for her when she was out camping. Her nose stuffed up and her throat felt sore. The fairies were all worried about her. Furthermore, Rachel could not get enough sleep, because the stuffiness in her nose kept making her unable to breathe out one of her nostrils when she went to bed. Her mother put menthol cream on her neck to ease the throat pain. It helped a little.

Rachel woke up at 6:00 one morning. She opened her closet door and changed her clothes. Then, she ran out of her room and slipped on her rain boots.

"Fairies! Come on!" she called. Mayah and Melon flew after Rachel. The other fairies were still asleep.

Rachel opened the door. She went out. After Mayah and Melon flew out, she shut the door. Then, Rachel went over to the garden, tissue in hand.

Mayah flew over to the fairy house. "Eek! There's a big spider!" she cried. In reality, the spider was only about as big as a housefly, but to the little pixie, it was big.

Melon flew over. "Cassy will have to get that big spider out of our house. I'm not touching it!" Melon cried.

Both garden fairies shuddered at the thought of touching a spider.

"Rachel, we want to help grow the tomato plants," Melon said.

"You want to go in your house?" Rachel guessed.

"NO!" Both garden fairies shook their heads vehemently.

Rachel watched Mayah. Mayah took a piece of grass and grew it. Then she grew another one.

"You want to grow..." Rachel started. Mayah was nodding her head quickly. "You want to grow grass!" Rachel finished.

Mayah shook her head.

Melon took a stick. She drew in the dirt. First she drew a circle.

"A circle..." Rachel said.

Melon drew the little leaves growing off of the tomato top onto the circle.

"...With spikes..." Rachel continued.

Melon shook her head, her blonde hair swishing. Then she drew a vine off of the leaves.

"...And a long line..." Rachel continued, looking confused.

Melon drew a leaf off of the vine.

"A tomato plant!" Rachel called triumphantly.

Both garden fairies nodded their heads happily. It took some work, but they could get Rachel to understand them a little. The fairies flew over to the tomato plant and sat on a thick vine. Mayah touched a tomato, making it grow. The tomato plant was wet since it had rained the night before, so the fairies had to be sure not to let their wings touch the water.

Melon was happily growing a vine. Suddenly, her foot slipped, and she fell down to the bottom of the tomato plant! It was dark and wet down there, and Melon's wings were soaked.

"MELON!" Mayah screamed. Rachel was kneeling down by the tomato plant, trying to get Melon out without hurting the plant.

Mayah flew to the bottom of the plant. She hummed her plant lullaby, and some of the vines surrounding Melon receded. Mayah carefully stepped under the plant, and was just about to get Melon out when Rachel hissed, "Freeze!"

"Why?" asked Mayah. Suddenly, she heard the jingling of collars. She fell over on top of Melon and stiffened.

The door opened, and the two dogs ran out. One of them started _"doing its business"_ in the yard. Rachel petted the dogs, checking over her shoulder every few minutes to see if the fairies were still there. Melon and Mayah were terrified. Thankfully, neither dog went near the tomato plant. After a harrowing half hour for the fairies, the dogs finally went inside.

"Sorry, girls," Rachel said. "I didn't know that the dogs were coming out."

Melon was so relieved. She said, "Remember the time one of the dogs picked Cassy up in its mouth? I was so worried, but Cassy was smiling and looking peaceful! I think Rachel was worried too, because she kept yelling ' **DROP IT!** ' at the dog."

Mayah nodded. She was cold and wet. Her wings were soaked from the dripping water on the tomato plant. Rachel stuck her hand in the hole where the fairies were and pulled them out.

"Poor fairies! You're all wet!" Rachel said sympathetically.

Mayah's wings drooped from the weight of the water. Melon's did too, and with it came a frown on the blonde fairy's face. Mayah kept on a smile, although it was thin.

Melon's stomach rumbled. She thought about how she had not had any food since Rachel had gone camping. Rachel's parents had thrown out all of the food scraps so as not to attract bugs. The rest of the food was in the freezer and refrigerator.

Rachel went over to the other tomato plants. The fairies stayed put. Then, Rachel came back with two tomatoes!

"These were on the ground, so the people won't eat them," Rachel said. "But if you want them, you can have them!"

Mayah looked eagerly at the delicious tomatoes. She usually couldn't have them, because then the people would get mad at her eating their food. But now, she could have a tomato!

Rachel walked over to the way back, near where the trashcans were. She waited for the fairies to walk over to where she was standing. After wiping off each tomato with her Kleenex, she gave them each a tomato.

Mayah grabbed hers and put it on her mouth. Rachel squeezed it too hard, and May ended up with more than a mouthful of tomato juice and seeds. She coughed, and juice dribbled down her chin and onto her dress. Some of it shot back and hit her wings.

Rachel shook her head. "Ooh, this isn't going to work."

The little girl walked over to the fairy house and picked up a hollowed-out half of a walnut that the fairies used for a bowl. She squirted the tomato's insides into the bowl. Next, she looked for a spoon. She found a stick and gave it to the redheaded pixie.

Mayah dipped the stick into the bowl. She pulled it out and was disappointed to find that all that was on the stick was a tiny drip of tomato "soup". Mayah licked it off.

Rachel was shaking her head. "This isn't working."

Mayah just picked up the bowl and poured some soup into her mouth. The fairy got a bit sticky. When the bowl was halfway empty, Mayah was full.

Rachel wrinkled her nose. "Eww, you smell like tomatoes!"

Mayah personally thought the aroma of tomatoes was delicious, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she patted her belly.

"Oh, you're full already!" Rachel cried, surprised.

Mayah nodded.

"Melon, want the rest of Mayah's soup?" asked the human.

Melon nodded, being very hungry. She poured the rest of the soup into her mouth. She got a bit sticky. Rachel frowned.

"There isn't a baking-talent fairy who specializes in cleaning dishes here, so I'll just have to wipe it with a leaf," Rachel said.

She picked up a small maple leaf and wiped the bowl. She threw the leaf randomly into the yard, and set the bowl back in the fairy house.

Rachel was wrinkling her nose. "Even though I can't smell very well with this snotty nose going on, you two still _stink_!" Rachel cried. "You need a bath."

Mayah and Melon drooped their wings. They both hated getting their wings wet, and were afraid of drowning. Mayah was especially afraid of drowning, as her friend Lulu had almost drowned years ago.

Rachel picked up the still-wet fairies and brought them in the house. Her mother was using the bathroom. When she was done, Rachel and the garden fairies went in.

Rachel rinsed out the sink. Then she took Mayah's dress off. Mayah's cheeks went red as Rachel rinsed the rose petal.

Mayah had no covering over her top, and only blue-petal panties over the bottom. It was not too bad, since fairies don't have the things that we do, but Mayah was still embarrassed all the same.

Rachel pushed in the plug and turned on the water. After turning the hot and cold dials a bit and testing it with her finger, she picked up Mayah. She put Mayah's foot in the water. "Is this good?" asked the girl.

Mayah nodded, and Rachel put her in the sink. After a good scrubbing, Rachel said, "Hold your breath," and Mayah did. Rachel let go, and Mayah slid into the water. After a few scary moments, Rachel plucked her out of the water and applied shampoo. Soon, Mayah was out and squeaky clean.

Melon's bath went a lot like Mayah's. The little fairy hoped that her friend was not looking at her pink-petal panties. Melon was soon out and drying off.

Rachel got out the garden fairies' other clothes since their rose petals were still wet, and the fairies were grateful when their pink-petal dresses were safely on their bodies. The fairies flew out the door to join the other fairies, and life continued on as normal.


	30. A Cold Autumn Day

It was a fine autumn day. Mayah was cooped up inside with her friends. She was resting in the fake ice castle that Rachel had received for her birthday. The fairies had not gone outside for months.

Suddenly, Rachel came over to the fairies.

"You must all be very tired of being inside," she said. "Why don't we all go outside today?"

Everyone cheered. Breeze was clearly excited about being able to stretch her wings.

They all followed Rachel outside. Melon shivered. Though it was not a cold day, it was definitely cooler than the last time the fairies had been outside.

Elsie turned a somersault in the air. "I am so glad that it is not so hot out anymore!" she cried.

Tinkerberry shivered. "You're a winter fairy," she grumbled.

Mayah yelled, "Let's not fight! Elsie is happy, and the rest of us are not as happy about the cold weather. That's okay!"

Tinkerberry hung her head. "Sorry, I think it's just because we've been cooped up in this house for too long."

The fairies fluttered around. Rachel suddenly put a finger to her mouth. She motioned to the fairies to get into the fairy house. She covered it with a leaf.

Sophie frowned. It was so dark with a leaf covering the doorway. Besides, it was getting a bit crammed in there.

A hand reached in to the fairy house. It grabbed Shimmer and pulled her out. Shimmer was relieved to find that it was only Rachel's hand.

"You guys are running low on pixie dust," whispered Rachel. "You should go get some more."

Shimmer nodded. She flew to the tree that she had made into a pixie dust tree. Shimmer grabbed a leaf that was still green and filled it with pixie dust. Then she went back to the fairy house.

Next, Rachel took Moss out of the fairy house. She wanted to look for fairies, and she needed Moss's sharp eyes to help.

Moss spotted many fairies, but they flew away before Rachel could catch them. Rachel soon got tired of looking. Moss went back to the fairy house. Breeze decided to go out and see what was happening.

Rachel had created a sled for Breeze out of cardboard! She waited for Breeze to sit on it, then pushed it down the slide. Breeze did lots of tricks. They had fun.

Soon, the dogs ran out! Breeze was terrified and flew as fast as she could back to the fairy house. Cassy came out. She pet the dogs happily and played with them until they went back inside. It was dark out by then, so Rachel and the fairies went into Rachel's house.

The next day, it was colder outside. Elsie went outside for a while, then went back in.


	31. The Cooking Fairy

Later that day, Moss and Rachel flew outside. Moss saw a fairy on the tomato plant!

"Rachel, look, a fairy!" called Moss. "Weren't you wanting to catch one yesterday?"

To Rachel, Moss's words sounded like jingles. But she went over to where Moss was pointing.

"What is it, Moss?" asked Rachel.

Rachel followed Moss to the tomato plant. She saw the fairy!

"A fairy!" cried Rachel. "Moss, what is her name?"

Moss did not respond, for she had just seen something horrible.

Rachel moved closer to the fairy. Suddenly, she saw what her fairy friend had seen.

"Oh, Moss, she only has one leg!" cried Rachel, horrified.

The fairy was very pretty. She had blonde hair and blue eyes. Her hair was in a bun, and she was wearing a plaid apron over a green skirt. Her face was twisted in pain.

"Scout fairy," she cried out, "please help me! I was collecting tomatoes to prepare a meal for the other fairies delivering autumn, and my leg caught on a branch! I pulled and pulled, but I was so stuck my leg just ripped off!"

Moss flew closer to the fairy. Fortunately, the fairy had wrapped her wound in a leaf. It was not bleeding too much, but the leg had come off right at the joint.

Rachel picked up the fairy, who didn't even protest. She brought the fairy inside with Moss following. Moss tried to comfort the poor fairy.

"I'm a kitchen fairy," said the wounded fairy. "I mostly cook." Then she began to cry again, and nothing Moss said could get her to stop.

Rachel went back outside. A little bit later, she called, "Moss, can you bring me the hurt fairy?"

Moss picked up the hurt kitchen fairy. She carried her outside to Rachel. The door was not a problem, for Rachel had left it hanging open. In Rachel's hand was a tiny leg. Moss felt a bit grossed out and flew back inside.

Rachel stroked the hurt fairy's hair. "It's going to be okay," she said in a soft, musical voice. Remembering the time that Mayah's leg had broken off, Rachel looked at the leg in her hand. It looked like it still had a joint attached to it.

"Squeeze your eyes shut and try not to think about the pain," Rachel told the fairy. Then she began pressing the leg onto the fairy. There was a loud _**pop**_! Then the fairy's leg was back on!

The fairy looked at her leg. With surprise, she found she could move it! It was still badly torn and bleeding, but at least it was back on. She grinned at Rachel.

Rachel got the bag of pixie dust and sprinkled some onto the fairy's leg. It stopped bleeding.

Rachel looked over the fairy. She saw that the fairy was wearing a shawl over her wings to protect them. Rachel gently pulled the ends of the shawl out of the fairy's hands. She saw that the fairy's wings were smaller than most, and they had a beautiful swirl pattern on them.

"Are you a cooking fairy?" asked Rachel, who had noticed the apron.

The fairy nodded.

"What is your name?" asked Rachel.

"My name is Cinnamon," replied the fairy.

Rachel cocked her head. "I can't understand you," she said.

Cinnamon blushed. Her friend Dulcie had told her that humans could not understand fairies, but she'd forgotten.

"Can you write it in the ground with a stick?" asked Rachel.

Cinnamon smiled. She took a stick and wrote **CINNAMON** in the dirt.

"Cinnamon?" asked Rachel. "That is so pretty of a name!"

Cinnamon smiled. "Thanks," she said, even though she knew Rachel wouldn't understand her.

"My name's Rachel," said the human girl. "Will you stay here with the rest of the fairies that live with me?"

Cinnamon looked surprised. She didn't know that there were fairies living with this human! She had assumed that Moss was just friends with Rachel.

Rachel carried Cinnamon inside. Moss was surprised to see that the little cooking fairy had both legs.

"I didn't know that you lived with Rachel!" cried Cinnamon.

Moss smiled. "Yeah, I do. Nine other fairies live here too."

Cinnamon's eyes grew wide. "Nine?" she asked unbelievably.

Moss nodded. "By the way, little kitchen fairy, what is your name?" asked Moss.

"Cinnamon," said the kitchen fairy.

Moss smiled. "Come and meet the other fairies," she said.

Moss took Cinnamon's shawl, and they flew over to the other fairies. Mayah fluttered out of the plastic castle.

"Who is that?" she asked.

"Everyone, come meet Cinnamon the kitchen fairy!" cried Moss.

All of the fairies flew out of the toy castle that they lived in.

"Moss helped me get my leg back," said Cinnamon. "It got caught on the tomato plant outside, and it ripped off! But Rachel found it and put it back on." Cinnamon wiggled her legs.

Mayah looked upset. "Hey, how come I can't move my leg and you can?" she asked. "Mine tore off too!"

"I think my leg still had the joint connected to it," replied Cinnamon.

Mayah nodded. She could clearly remember that her joint had broken off of her leg.

"My name is Mayah. I'm a garden fairy," said Mayah, suddenly remembering to introduce herself.

"You're _Mayah_?" asked Cinnamon. "I've always wanted to meet you!"

"Wait, what?" asked Mayah.

"Spinner tells tales about you all the time, when that hideous human ripped the wings clean off your friend's back and you flew away to an island for 70 years!" Cinnamon said. She shuddered. "I can still picture the hideous boy, with those fang teeth and red eyes."

Mayah groaned. "Spinner stretches the truth. The boy did not have fangs or red eyes. He was just really mean."

"Oh," Cinnamon said.

Melon said, "I'm Melon. I'm also a garden fairy."

Cinnamon smiled. "Could you ripen up those tomatoes out there for me?"

"Oh, Mayah and I did for a little while earlier today," said Melon. She remembered Rachel taking a tomato and squeezing it into their walnut bowl, then mixing it with a bird berry and some clover pieces. The soup didn't taste that great, but Melon was hungry, so she ate it.

"My name is Tinkerberry, and I'm a tinker," said Tinkerberry.

"I'm Sophie, and I'm a light fairy," Sophia said.

"I'm an animal fairy. My name's Cassy," said Cassy.

"I'm Dewdrop, and I'm a water fairy," Dewdrop said.

"My name is Breeze, and you can guess what talent I am," said Breeze. Then she flew around the house at top speed.

"You're a fast-flying fairy," Cinnamon said.

Breeze nodded proudly.

"I'm Elsie, and I'm a frost fairy!" said Elsie.

Moss said, "I'm Moss and I'm a scout, but you already know that. My sister here, Shimmer, is a dust-keeper."

Shimmer smiled. "Yep!"

Cinnamon smiled. She knew she would like living here.


	32. Leaves and Friends

The next day, Cinnamon and Rachel went outside. Cinnamon was itching to prepare some food.

"What do you want to cook today?" asked Rachel.

Cinnamon looked around. Right by the fairy house was a tomato. She picked it up. Then she grabbed a walnut-shell bowl and set it on a brick. Cinnamon scratched her head. Tomato soup was tasty by itself, but something was missing. Cinnamon looked around and spotted a root sticking out of the ground by a tree!

"Let's go over here!" cried Cinnamon. Rachel did not understand her, but followed her anyways. Cinnamon took a tiny bite of the root. It tasted good, with a rich, bittersweet taste. Cinnamon nodded and pulled at the root, but the stubborn thing just would not come out!

Rachel looked at Cinnamon. "You're using that root in the tomato soup?" asked Rachel. Cinnamon nodded. Rachel saw that Cinnamon was having trouble pulling up the root, so she grabbed it with a gloved hand and pulled it out.

Cinnamon smiled. Her small wings fluttered as she flew back to the brick that she was using as a counter. She set the root down on the brick. Rachel picked it up and started tearing it into medium-sized pieces.

"No, no, no!" cried Cinnamon, shaking her head. She grabbed the medium-sized pieces and tore them into tiny pieces. She put the tiny pieces in the walnut bowl. Then she squeezed the tomato juice from the tomato. It dripped into the walnut bowl.

Rachel made a face. "Eww," she said. "Tomato squirt."

Cinnamon frowned. "Sorry if you don't like the look of it, but it is delicious!" said Cinnamon. Rachel looked confused. She couldn't understand the fairy. "Aw, forget it," groaned Cinnamon. She mixed the tomato squirt with the remaining root piece, and then dusted her hands. She took a taste. It needed mint, but Rachel didn't grow wild mint in her backyard.

"Oh well," said Cinnamon. It would have to do.

Suddenly, Cinnamon remembered that she hadn't told the fairies that were waiting for her to make supper where she was! Cinnamon's heart sank. They would be worried sick. She flew up toward the sky.

"Hey! Wait!" cried Rachel. Cinnamon thought she heard the crying of a little girl, but she was too far away to be sure.

Cinnamon flew to where the fairies should be waiting. She landed. An art fairy named Mariana spotted her.

"Cinnamon! We were so worried when you didn't show up!" cried Mariana. "Gelata cooked supper last night when you didn't come back. I thought a hawk had gotten you!"

Cinnamon took a deep breath. She told Mariana how her leg had come off and how the human girl had fixed it. Then she said, "I'm going to stay with Rachel now."

Mariana was relieved. She hurried away to tell the fairies that were with her group that Cinnamon was safe.

Cinnamon flew to Rachel's yard. Rachel was saying, "Oh, I guess Cinnamon didn't want to stay..." Rachel began to sob.

"I'm here!" Cinnamon called out.

Rachel looked up. "I hear a fairy jingling! Cinnamon, is that you?"

Cinnamon flew into sight, and Rachel gave her a giant hug. "Thank you for coming back!" she cried. Cinnamon nodded.

Then, Cinnamon flew over to the cold sidewalk and landed on it. It was freezing! Cinnamon had a flash of inspiration. She took a leaf and wrapped a squished tomato in it. She did so with another. Rachel made a face, but Cinnamon didn't mind.

Then, Cinnamon picked the bird berry out of a walnut bowl. She put it on a bottle cap after cleaning it with a wet leaf and drying it on Rachel's pants. Rachel was not amused, but she didn't get mad when she saw Cinnamon put the bird berry onto the bottle cap. The little fairy picked up a piece of root and put it on the bird berry. _Perfect._

Cinnamon put the leaf-wrapped squashed tomatoes and the bottle cap with the bird berry on the roof of the fairy house. Her small wings flapped hard to carry her weight.

Just then, Cinnamon banged her leg on the side of the fairy house. It ripped off again!

"Ow!" screamed Cinnamon. Rachel gasped. She pushed Cinnamon's leg back onto her body. With a pop, Cinnamon's leg reattached.

"We should go inside," said Rachel. She carried Cinnamon in, not wanting to strain Cinnamon by making her fly instead of being carried.

Rachel's dad walked by. While Rachel was talking to him, Cinnamon bumped her leg hard onto Rachel's hand. It fell off again!

"That fairy's leg fell off!" cried Rachel's dad.

Rachel popped it back in, but it was clear now that Cinnamon needed help. Rachel brought the poor fairy into her room and laid her on a table.

"Cinnamon, can you please take off your underwear?" asked Rachel.

Cinnamon blushed but pulled the sunflower petal underwear off. Rachel grabbed a bottle of superglue and squirted glue on Cinnamon's bottom.

The glue was cold and tickled a little, but Cinnamon resisted the urge to scratch. "Keep moving your legs," instructed Rachel.

When the glue was dry, Rachel gave Cinnamon her underwear back. Cinnamon pulled the underpants up onto her bottom.

"Fly into something!" Rachel called.

"Are you crazy?" asked Cinnamon.

When Rachel saw that Cinnamon wasn't moving, she gave the cooking fairy a hard push. Cinnamon fell off the table. She started flying around the table, and then she flew too close to one of the table legs and hit her leg.

Cinnamon waited for the telltale burst of pain that would mean her leg had just broken off, but it never came. Cinnamon wiggled her leg joyously. "You really healed me!" cried Cinnamon.

Rachel smiled. Then she went off to play. Cinnamon flew over to her friends and told them what had happened.

Later that day, Sophie was resting in the toy castle. She heard a knock at the door, and Rachel's mom answered it. Two little kids ran in. They were here to play!

Rachel went outside to play with her friends. Sophia felt a little disappointed, but she didn't complain. She liked the little girl that had come over. They had met once before, when Sophie had shown the little girl that she could pick up light.

Sophie was tired. She closed her eyes and fell asleep, wings still fluttering.

It seemed as if no time at all had passed when Rachel grabbed Sophie. Sophie immediately woke up and grumbled to herself.

"Want to play hide-and-go-seek with my friends?" asked Rachel.

Sophie nodded sleepily.

Rachel went outside with Sophie. Sophie jumped out of Rachel's hands and started flying when she saw a gigantic leaf pile on the ground! Rachel's two friends were jumping in the pile.

Sophie adjusted her yellow leaf dress. It would be easy to hide in that giant pile!

For a while, Sophie dove into the leaf pile, giggling as she dodged the fingers grabbing at her. She would always eventually be found, and there was a lot of laughing.

When Sophie got tired of hiding, she looked up and saw the art fairy Bess painting leaves. Bess waved at Sophie. Then she threw a leaf down at Rachel's friend that was a girl. It hit the girl's head.

"Hey, a fairy threw that at me!" cried the little girl.

Rachel giggled. She looked up at the tree, but Bess had already hidden behind a branch.

Rachel suddenly shouted, "Bury me!" She face-planted into the leaves. Sophie flew over to Rachel. Rachel grabbed her and covered her face. The two kids started burying Rachel. Sophie squirmed in Rachel's grip.

After Rachel was buried in the leaves, the two kids dug her up. Sophie squirmed out of Rachel's grip. She absentmindedly touched her hair. Then she frantically felt around. Her miniature flower that she always wore in her hair was gone!

Sophie looked at the large leaf pile, but it was no use. Her flower could be anywhere. Sophie sat on a tree branch and started crying.

"What's wrong?" Bess flew up beside Sophie.

"I lost my flower for my hair," said Sophie sadly.

"Does Rachel have another?" asked Bess.

Sophie nodded, "I think so."

"Then don't be sad," said Bess.

Sophie felt better. After Rachel's friends went home, the human noticed that Sophie's flower was missing and gave her another one. Sophie smiled, grateful.


	33. A New Hairdo For A Cooking Fairy

A few days later, Cinnamon had just come back from a bonfire with Rachel. Actually, she had sat in Rachel's pocket the whole time. Rachel had whispered, "Too many people here."

When they got home, Rachel was so tired that she just plopped into bed. Cinnamon could not get out of Rachel's room because the door was shut, so she just fell asleep on Rachel's table.

The next morning, Rachel picked Cinnamon up. "Can I do your hair?" she asked.

Cinnamon nodded, and Rachel sat down. Cinnamon's hair was in a bun, and Rachel struggled to get the hair bands out.

"What are these _made_ of?" Rachel asked, frustrated.

"Some tinker fairies found a few hair bands on the shore once," said Cinnamon. "The art fairy Blair did my hair with them." The little fairy remembered that Rachel couldn't understand her. "Oh, pixie dust," Cinnamon muttered.

Rachel braided Cinnamon's hair in two braids. They were a bit messy, but Rachel's fingers were much bigger than a fairy's fingers. Besides, Cinnamon's wings had kept getting in the way.

Finally, Rachel opened her door. Cinnamon flew out quickly. She flew over to her friends.

"Hey guys, look!" called Cinnamon.

Mayah fluttered over. "Nice hair!" she said. "Who did it?"

"Rachel," said Cinnamon.

"That explains why it's so messy," Moss said.

Shimmer glared at her sister. "Moss, that's rude!" she said.

"Sorry," said Moss. "I just notice those things. I do have really good vision."

Shimmer giggled. "I remember when Spinner told me about the time Myka thought she was going blind," she laughed.

"Humph," said Moss. "He probably stretched it a lot." As a scout fairy, Moss was close to Myka and did not like anyone insulting her friend.

Elsie fluttered over to Cinnamon. "Nice braids," she said. "I'm glad Rachel did two instead of one. That way we don't look the same."

Elsie had blonde hair and blue eyes like Cinnamon. They didn't look that much alike, but Elsie still didn't like Cinnamon looking like her. To any random human who happened to glimpse Elsie and Cinnamon, the fairies would look like the same fairy if they both had the same hairstyle.

Cinnamon smiled and stroked her hair. "I hope it doesn't get in the way when I'm cooking," she commented.

"Oh, it won't," Mayah reassured her. "Dulcie and Gelata both have their hair down, and they don't get it in their food!"

The fairies' laughter filled the house with pretty-sounding jingles.


	34. Fairies Go To Pixie Hollow

One fine afternoon, Dewdrop fluttered out of her house. Her leaf shawl was around her arms. She thought that a visit to Pixie Hollow would be nice.

Dewdrop flew outside. It was very warm for November, and Dewdrop didn't even need her shawl! But she kept it on anyways. She flew until she got to Never Land. Then she went to Pixie Hollow.

The little water fairy smiled as she flew around. She waved to some of the fairies. Then she flew to her house, a little pink water lily. She looked in her closet. Now she could change out of that shawl!

Dewdrop changed into some pretty blue-petal clothes. Then she flew around Pixie Hollow. A water fairy named Hydrangea needed some help, so Dewdrop helped her.

"I need to get this drop all the way down this huge leaf," Hydrangea said, "but it keeps bumping into ladybugs!"

Dewdrop giggled and helped her friend. "Thanks!" Hydrangea told her.

Dewdrop fluttered around for a little while until she saw Sophie.

"Sophie, how did you get here?" asked Dewdrop.

"I flew," Sophie said.

Dewdrop laughed.

"Cinnamon cooked up something that smells delicious, and it tastes good too!" Sophie said. "She wanted me to tell you about it."

"Oh, I would love to have something Cinnamon cooked," Dewdrop said. "I think she is the best baking fairy!"

Dulcie was flying by at that moment. "What?" she asked. "You really think Cinnamon cooks the best food?"

Dewdrop nodded.

"Well, I was the one who showed her around when she arrived, and I taught her lots of cooking skills," Dulcie said.

Dewdrop had already fluttered back to the mainland.

Sophie smiled. She had spotted a light fairy named Moonglow. "Hi, Moonglow, how are you today?" asked Sophie.

"I haven't seen you for quite a while, Sophie!" Moonglow cried. "I'm doing great."

"Good to know," Sophie said. "Fly with you later!"

"Fly with you later," Moonglow said.

Sophie flew away, and bumped into Silvermist! "Sorry!" cried Sophie.

"Oh, that's okay," said Silvermist. "Want to make rainbows with me?"

"That sounds flitterific!" Sophie cried. "I'd love to."

Silvermist flew up into the sky. She threw water into the sky in an arch shape. Sophie quickly flew above the water, sending beams of light at it. A rainbow appeared!

"That one's awesome!" Silvermist said. "I think you're better at making rainbows with me than Iridessa, but don't let her hear that!"

Silvermist and Sophie made a few more rainbows. Then Sophie decided to go back to the mainland.

Tinkerberry had just gotten to Pixie Hollow. Her friend Chipper was there.

"I'm excited for the revelry," Chipper said. "Are you going to be there?"

Tinkerberry shrugged. "If there isn't anything going on with Rachel's family," she said. "Is Tink home?"

Chipper shook her head. "She's with that human," she said.

Tinkerberry smiled. Then she spotted a stick on the ground and picked it up. She put it on top of a mushroom. She grabbed a rock and put it on the mushroom. Then she found a vine and tied the rock to the stick.

"Nice hammer!" Chipper said.

Tinkerberry smiled and said, "Thanks!"

The little tinker hit the hammer against a nut. She pulled the top of the nut off, and then kept hitting the nut. Unfortunately, the vine holding the hammer together snapped! The rock went flying.

"Oh no," Tinkerberry said.

"Don't worry," Chipper said, "at least you still have the stick."

Tinkerberry frowned. "Now I know not to ever make a hammer using vines!"

Chipper laughed.

Mayah and Cassy flew over to Tinkerberry. "Hi, we just got here!" Cassy said.

Just then, there was a horrible buzzing noise. Cassy turned around. A tinker named Melior was running away from a bee!

Cassy called, "Hey, wait!"

The bee turned around. **BZZZBZZZBZZZZBZZZ** , it said.

"Maybe he accidentally took the flower you were in, but don't be mad about it," Cassy replied.

 **BZZZBZZZBZZZZZZZBZZZ** , the bee buzzed again.

"It was a peony? There are millions of peonies around, at least I think," said Cassy. "Here, my friend Mayah can grow one for you!"

Mayah smiled.

"Follow me, little bee," Mayah said. She flew in the direction of Lily's garden.

Mayah pointed to a sad little peony sproutling.

 **BZZZZZZZZZZZZZBZZZZZZBZZZZ** buzzed the bee angrily.

Mayah touched the flower. It grew tall and beautiful. The bee looked happy and flew into the flower.

Lily fluttered over. "Hi, Mayah," she said. "Did you grow my little peony? That poor little thing wasn't doing great, but I was too busy with my buttercups to help it!"

Mayah nodded. The bee flew out of the flower and to another peony.

Lily landed. "You know, lots of fairies think it's weird that I walk instead of fly most of the time, but it's because I like to be close to the dirt."

Mayah understood. "I usually don't wear shoes for that reason. When I'm helping a plant grow, I like to feel the dirt under my toes."

Rosetta flew over. "What're y'all talkin' 'bout?" she asked.

"Dirt," Lily said.

"Yuck," Rosetta said. "Ah do not like dirt."

"But you're a garden fairy!" Lily cried.

"Ironic, isn't it?" Rosetta laughed. "Ah mean, ah am sure ah could overcome mah not likin' dirt for somethin' big, but ah still do not like dirt!"

Mayah laughed. It was pointless to argue with Rosetta about this. She had heard that Rosetta had almost lost in the Pixie Hollow Games one year just because she didn't want to get muddy!

Chloe flew over to the garden fairies. "Hi there," she said. As usual, her outfit was caked in mud, and she had dirt in her hair.

"Yuck. Don't touch me," Rosetta said.

"I won't," Chloe said.

"What have you been _doing?_ " asked Lily.

"I was just growing some apples, and then one fell on me and pushed me into some mud!" Chloe said.

"Aw, come on, I know you better'n that," Rosetta said. "What were you really doin'?"

Chloe sighed. "I was growing apples, and then Fawn chucked mud at me. I couldn't resist, and soon we were having a mud fight."

Rosetta, Lily, and Mayah started laughing. "Sounds just like you, Chloe," Rosetta said.

Iris flew over. "I found a new type of clover today!" she cried. "It was in the forest just south of Pixie Hollow, and it was green, blue, purple, and yellow! I call it Iris's Clover."

"Wow!" cried Chloe.

"How many did you find?" asked Mayah.

"A whole patch of them," Iris said.

Just then, an animal fairy named Nollie flew over to the group of garden fairies. "This bee says she wants to know where the Iris's Clover patch is, but I have no clue what he's talking about!"

Iris beamed. "I'll take him over."

Nollie smiled. "You know, Mayah, my friends Fawn and Cassy were talking about going to find some cute little centipedes. Want to come?"

Rosetta was repulsed. "Cute and centipede do _not_ belong in the same sentence!" she protested.

"Sorry, Nollie, that's just not really my thing," Mayah said.

Nollie nodded and flew away.

"Where's Melon?" asked Lily. "She's usually always with you."

"I think she's back home, I mean, back on the mainland," Mayah said.

"Do you call the mainland home, or Pixie Hollow home?" asked Lily.

Mayah scratched her head. "They're _both_ my homes, I guess. I mean, I was born here in Pixie Hollow, but I've lived with Rachel for over a year."

Lily nodded. "I don't think I could ever live anywhere but here."

"Living on a deserted island was hard," Mayah said.

"Do you call that place your home?" asked Lily.

Mayah shook her head vigorously. "I lived there for a really long time, but all I really did was be sad. I don't think I'll ever go there again. It just would remind me of... you know."

Lily nodded.

Mayah saw Cassy flying really fast towards her. "STOP!" cried Mayah, but Cassy could not stop fast enough. Cassy crashed into Mayah, knocking her down!

"Oh, Mayah, I'd fly backwards if I could!" Cassy shouted.

Mayah laughed. "That's fine, Cassy, but why were you in such a hurry?"

"Mayah, all of the fairies are coming back from delivering autumn _now!_ Queen Clarion told me!"

Mayah gasped. "Really? They aren't all back?"

Cassy shook her head. "The last few groups are coming."

Lily gasped and flew to her house. "Everybody, get into your houses!"

"Why?" asked Mayah.

"There are so many fairies still delivering autumn, we'll be mobbed!" cried Lily.

Cassy nodded. "That's why I was flying so fast!"

"We'd better go back to the mainland," Mayah said. "Let's get Tinkerberry."

Cassy and Mayah flew to Tinker's Nook. Tinkerberry was busy with a pan.

"Tinkerberry, we need to go!" Mayah called. "All of the fairies delivering autumn are coming back right now, and we'll be mobbed!"

Tinkerberry dropped the pot. "Chipper, you can fix it," she said.

Chipper nodded and set to work.

Mayah, Cassy, and Tinkerberry flew out of Pixie Hollow. They flew until Never Land was just a blob. Then, a fairy bumped into Mayah.

"Sorry," she said. Mayah pulled Tinkerberry and Cassy out of the way as a big group of fairies flew right where they had been hovering.

Mayah, Tinkerberry, and Cassy flew as fast as they could. Soon, they saw Rachel's house in the distance.

"Almost there!" cried Tinkerberry.

They flew into the backyard and stopped to rest in the fairy house. Tons of fairies were fluttering out of the trees. Tinkerberry, Mayah, and Cassy flew into the human house. The rest of their friends were waiting.

Cinnamon was looking sadly out the window. "I should be with the fairies flying away," she said.

Mayah gave her a hug. "It's okay, Cinnamon. Trust me, you do not want to be out there."

Cinnamon managed a smile, and her small wings lifted.


	35. The Long Journey

One day, Rachel put Mayah in a backpack.

"We are going to my grandma's house!" she said.

All of the fairies were excited. They knew that they would see Tinker Bell again!

It was a long ride. Despite the fairies' shawls, it was cold. Elsie was the only one who wasn't bothered.

Finally, they arrived. It had grown hot and smelly in the small pouch Rachel had put them in.

"Cassy, that smell is from you," Breeze complained.

Cinnamon pinched her nose and nodded.

Cassy shrugged. "What can I say? I can't help playing with animals."

The next day, Grace came over. Rachel was overjoyed.

"You brought Tink!" cried Rachel happily.

"I didn't forget," Grace replied. "Did you bring your fairies?"

Rachel nodded. They went into the room with the backpack.

Inside the pouch, the fairies were irritated. "You're kicking me!" complained Melon.

"Well, your head is in my armpit!" Tinkerberry shot back.

"Stop fighting... Sophie, you get your fingers off my wings!" Mayah cried.

Rachel and Grace were staring at the backpack. They heard loud jingling. Then Rachel unzipped the pouch. Mayah and her friends flew out.

"Why did you play with a skunk right before we came?" complained Elsie to Cassy.

Then, all of the fairies saw Tinker Bell.

"TINK!" they yelled happily. Everyone gave her a huge hug, even Cinnamon who had not met her.

Rachel caught Moss and Shimmer. "You haven't met these two yet. Moss is a scout and Shimmer is a dust-keeper, and they are sisters," the girl said.

Grace smiled. "Do their wings sparkle?" she asked.

Moss and Shimmer nodded.

Then, Rachel let go of the sisters and caught Cinnamon. "This is Cinnamon the baking fairy."

"She doesn't have wings!" Grace cried.

Rachel shook her head. "She does, just very small ones," Rachel said. Cinnamon turned around, her wings flapping.

"How did they get so small?" asked Grace.

"I don't know. She was just born with small wings," replied Rachel.

The fairies flew off together to talk with Tink.

A little while later, Elsie and Cassy flew into Rachel's pocket to go do chores with Grace at her farm. It was cold, and Cassy was glad she had her shawl along.

When they got there, Cassy flew out. She spotted some cats.

"That's Callie," Grace said.

A large gray cat was walking around. Cassy gasped. Callie was not the little kitten she remembered!

"Wow, you've really grown!" Cassy cried.

 _Meow_ , the cat said.

"I'm glad you remember me," Cassy said.

Rachel grabbed Cassy and put her in her pocket. Elsie was still in there.

"I'm hot," Elsie said.

"Well, I'm cold. Will you frost my wings?" asked Cassy.

Elsie nodded and frosted the animal fairy's wings.

When Rachel pulled out Cassy a few minutes later, Cassy's shawl fell off! Rachel dug around in her pocket. Elsie dodged the big fingers. Rachel could not feel the shawl.

"Cassy, you must have left the shawl back at Grandma's!" Rachel cried.

"No, it's in your pocket," Cassy said. It was no use, because Rachel could not understand her.

They were outside for a while. When they went in, Grace got a scrap of cloth. Tinker Bell, who had come along, fashioned a wrap for Cassy. Cassy didn't protest, because the wrap was warm.

Soon Elsie, Tink, and the girls went into the bathroom to wash feathers. Elsie was going to frost the water to cool it down. But Rachel let go of her, and Elsie didn't catch herself in time. She fell in! Her wings dragged her down as she frantically tried to paddle out of the sink.

Grace grabbed her and pulled her out. Elsie was grateful. Grace had saved her life! Her wings were wet, and she couldn't fly. But soon they dried out.

When they came back to Rachel's grandma's house, Rachel finally found the shawl in her pocket. "Oops," she said sheepishly to her cousin.

"It's okay," Grace said.

Tinker Bell stayed over, and Tinkerberry decided to make a boat. The two tinker fairies made a raft out of corks.

The next day, Dewdrop decided to try the raft. Tinker Bell and Dewdrop went into the basement with the humans. Rachel's mother filled a bucket with water, and Rachel placed the raft in. Dewdrop sat down and immediately flipped the raft! Her soaked wings were unable to fly. But she climbed back onto the raft. It flipped again. After a lot more tries, Dewdrop gave up.

"Oh, well, I guess I'll have to make a sturdier one," Tinker Bell said.

Dewdrop smiled. Rachel picked her up and put her on a towel to dry. Dewdrop kicked off her shoes and pulled off her shirt and skirt. Her pink-petal swimming suit was underneath.

"Oh, you want to swim," Rachel said. She dropped the water fairy in the water.

"Come on in!" Dewdrop yelled.

Tinker Bell shook her head. "I'm not a water fairy," she said.

"Oh, well," Dewdrop said, and kept splashing.

A while later, Tink went outside. She had her wings frosted. She tried to fly back to the house, but the wind was too strong, and she blew backwards!

Rachel caught her. "Wow, that wind is strong," she said.

A bit later, it was time to do chores. Elsie, Cassy, and Shimmer came. Shimmer made one of the trees by Grace's house into a pixie dust tree, so that Tink would not have to go back to Pixie Hollow when she was low on dust.

"Let's jump on the trampoline!" cried Grace.

The fairies cheered. Tinker Bell, who was along, jumped on first. Then came Elsie, Shimmer, and Cassy.

They jumped for a while. Tink kept flying off to look at interesting things she could use. It started getting dark.

"This will be our last jump," Grace said.

The two girls jumped around. Grace jumped close to Shimmer. The fairy flew off the trampoline. She landed on the ground and didn't move. Moss had taught her to stay still if she ever fell off of something, so as not to attract predators.

"Shimmer," called Rachel.

Shimmer cried, "I'm right here!"

"I heard her," Grace said.

The two humans walked around, trying to find Shimmer. Unfortunately, Shimmer's brown skin, black hair, and brown leaf for a dress made her hard to see in the dimming light.

The two girls searched everywhere except where Shimmer lay. The sun went down, and Grace went to get a flashlight.

The three blonde fairies, Tink, Cassy, and Elsie, flew to Rachel's pocket. They went in.

The girls were worried. "Will Shimmer be lost forever?" asked Rachel worriedly.

"It's my fault," Grace said. "I kicked her. It's my fault that she's lost!"

"It's nobody's fault," Rachel said.

"I wish she would just fly out and let us find her," Grace said.

"But she always stays still. I wish she didn't do that, but she does," Rachel said.

Twice Rachel thought that a pile of doggy doo-doo was Shimmer. She soon found that it wasn't.

They could not find Shimmer. Shimmer was getting cold, being that she didn't have her shawl on.

It was getting late. Finally, the girls gave up and went inside. Rachel was very worried.

"What if Shimmer gets attacked by animals? She's not an animal fairy," worried Rachel.

"Our cats hunt mice, not fairies," Grace said unconvincingly.

When they got back, they told Moss the news. Moss cried, "My sister is lost? Oh no!"

The next morning, the girls found Shimmer easily. In the daylight she was easy to find.

"You are never going on that trampoline again!" Rachel told the dust-keeper fairy.

Shimmer hung her head.

A few days later, Grace was at her other grandma's house for Thanksgiving. Rachel was bored.

Breeze and Tinker Bell wanted to go outside. After racing the wind for a while, Breeze was exhausted. It was then that Tink noticed Grace's fairy garden.

It was a sad little sight. All of the figurines were knocked over, and the teacup with water for the fairies to bathe in was muddy and dirty.

Tink set to work, while Breeze sat inside the little home in the fairy garden. Soon Tink got tired, and the two fairies went inside. Tinkerberry flew out to work on the fairy garden.

It took a while, but Tinkerberry got the job done. The fairy garden looked amazing!

Soon the sun began to set. Rachel gasped. She took Sophia outside.

"Catch the last light of the day!" Rachel said to Sophie.

The little fairy waited for just the right time to catch it while Rachel found something to hold it in. Soon the sun was exactly in the right place. Sophie reached out her hands and grabbed the sunlight a split second before the sun went down. Sophie put the light into the cornhusk Rachel had grabbed. Then Rachel put the glowing husk into the fairy garden.

The next day was the last day Rachel would be at her grandma's house. It was raining and pouring. Rachel was sad.

When Grace came, Rachel showed her the fixed up fairy garden. Grace seemed to like it.

A few hours later, Mayah saw Grace. Grace picked up Mayah, but her wing was trapped underneath something heavy. Grace pulled, trying to get her out.

"Stop, stop, that hurts," Mayah pleaded. But Grace couldn't understand her.

Grace pulled and pulled. Mayah felt a painful sensation where her wings connected to her back. Grace pulled harder, and the pain grew more painful. Suddenly, there was a horrible ripping sound, and Mayah's wings hurt with a searing, blinding pain.

"OUCH!" screamed Mayah. Suddenly, the pain stopped. She couldn't feel her wings. She looked back and was horrified. It wasn't because of what she saw. It was because of what she didn't see. Her wings were gone. She looked down and saw her severed wings lying on the ground. She stared in mute horror for a few seconds, unable to speak. Then she blacked out.

The next thing she knew, Rachel was screaming. Mayah opened her eyes and saw foggy images of Rachel on the floor screaming her head off. Then she passed out again.

"It was an accident," Grace said to Rachel. "I didn't mean for her wings to tear off!"

When Mayah woke up again, the fairies said a hurried goodbye to Tinker Bell. Mayah was in pain and struggling to keep a smile on her face. All she could think of was _Lulu died when her wings ripped off._

Mayah passed out again. She awoke at Rachel's house. A day had passed.

"Oh, Mayah, I'm so sorry," Rachel said. She began crying. Tears fell from her eyes. Mayah almost stopped smiling, seeing her dear friend like this. She reminisced about all the times they had spent together. _I am going to die_ , she thought. _Rachel will be heartbroken. Rosetta will be heartbroken. All my friends will be heartbroken_. She started remembering her entire life. _Her birth, and becoming a garden fairy. The day Lulu was born. The time when she saved Lulu from drowning. Then, the day Lulu died._ She almost stopped smiling. Tears were running down her face now. She continued remembering. _The 70 years she spent on that island grieving._ _Then, the day she met Rachel. Returning to Pixie Hollow._ She would always remember the look of joy on Rosetta's face when she saw her friend was alive, even if her life only lasted for a few more short minutes. Mayah was crying hard now. She fought to keep smiling. _All the times she had had with her friends Melon, Tinkerberry, Sophia, Dewdrop, Cassy, Breeze, Elsie, Shimmer, Moss, and Cinnamon._ Mayah felt her strength leaving her. _I have to keep living,_ she thought. _I was the first fairy Rachel ever found. She would never forgive herself for letting me die. She would be heartbroken forever._ Mayah tried to keep living. She fought to keep away the frown that was trying to force itself onto her face. But she was growing weak. Her eyes closed and she went limp. Her smile wavered and began fading.

Rachel, holding Mayah in her hand, felt the fairy's body go limp. She saw Mayah's smile fading. She knew at this moment that Mayah was dying. A cry escaped the human's lips. "No..."

Mayah, weak as she was, heard the cry. "Goodbye," she whispered, that same word Lulu had said all those years ago.

Rachel heard a single jingle escape Mayah's lips.

Mayah lost consciousness.

Rachel placed the severed wings onto Mayah's back. _I can't save her, but at least she can die with her wings,_ thought Rachel. As Mayah's glow faded, tears streamed down Rachel's face. A single tear fell onto Mayah's wings. They glowed and reattached!

Life surged back into Mayah's body. She gained consciousness. Her smile came back, an ear to ear grin. _I'm alive,_ she thought. _But how?_

She looked back and saw with wonder that her wings were attached! She fluttered them with amazement. She saw a wet drop in the middle of her wings. Curiously, she reached back and touched it. She tasted it. It was salty. Suddenly she knew what had happened.

" _A human tear..._ " Mayah breathed. Tinker Bell had told her that one cure for a broken wing was a human tear. It had to be a tear of true sadness. It used to be that the only known cure was a twin fairy wing lining up with the broken wing. Tink's wing had broken once at Grace's house, and when Grace cried on her, Tinker Bell's wing healed!

Rachel was grinning from ear to ear. "You're alive!" she cried happily.

Mayah nodded. She jingled happily. It was good to be alive.


	36. A Perfect Winter Day

It was winter. The snow was on the ground, and it was hard. It had melted a little bit earlier in the winter, so there were large patches of crusted snow. It was peaceful outside.

From behind a tree branch, something flew. It was a snowflake fairy. She flitted about, playing a game with another fairy.

The peaceful quiet of the winter was suddenly broken when a girl bounded out of a house. The winter fairies hid behind branches, hoping that the girl wouldn't see them. Then they saw a fairy in the girl's hand.

The fairy didn't look upset. In fact, she was smiling as the girl walked over to a small structure in the garden.

"That's as good as I could get it in," the girl said.

The little fairy laughed, a sweet, bell-like sound.

The girl plopped down on a patch of snow. "You know, not everyone can stand the cold like you can, Elsie."

The girl's mother had told her that it was only twenty degrees out, and the girl looked very cold.

The fairy smiled. She had light blonde hair that was in a braid. Her eyes were a light blue color, and her skin was pale. She was wearing a leaf bracelet, and her clothes were made of blue frozen leaves. Her wings were a bit small.

The girl patted the fairy's head with her mitten. "Elsie, you're a great friend," said the girl.

Elsie the fairy smiled. "Thanks," she said, though all the human could hear were jingles.

Elsie then spotted some ice. She flew over to it and began to skate. The girl laughed. "You sure like winter," said the girl. "Me, not so much."

"That's okay, Rachel," Elsie jingled. "You're not a winter fairy – or winter human, for that matter."

"Whatever you said, it sounded good," Rachel said.

The girl looked around her backyard. There was a piece of plywood leaning against the kiddie pool that was turned on its side. A baby slide was by the pool, serving as a sort of climbing tool to get up on the pool.

Rachel used this as a sledding hill. Earlier that winter, it had been covered in snow, but now the snow was gone.

"Elsie, I have a fun idea," said Rachel. "What would be a good sled?"

The human's eyes darted around the yard. She saw a small piece of wood with a nail stuck in it.

"Nah," she said softly. Then her eyes flew back to the wood. "What would Tinkerberry do?"

She ran over to the wood with Elsie following. She pulled out the nail, and then rubbed the dirty wood on the ice to clean it. She put it up on the plywood.

"Elsie, sit on the sled!" cried Rachel.

Elsie fluttered to the sled. She sat down. Instantly, the sled began going down the hill, picking up speed. The fairy flew off the sled and slid the rest of the way down the plywood on her bottom.

The fairy and girl were both laughing when Elsie reached the bottom. "Was that fun?" asked Rachel.

"Oh, yes," jingled Elsie.

"Come on," Rachel said. "If the snow wasn't so hard, we could make snow angels. Maybe for you, they would be called snow fairies..."

Elsie laughed and turned somersaults in the air. She landed on some dirty snow. She fell flat on her face! When she got up, her face was dirty.

Rachel smiled. "Oh, what a dirty fairy!"

Rachel grabbed Elsie out of the air and dug in the snow. Then she rubbed Elsie's face in the snow grains. Elsie loved the feeling of the snow brushing by her face.

Her face was clean now. Little particles of snow stuck to her hair and face. Some was even clinging to her shirt.

"Elsie, you are beautiful," sighed Rachel.

Elsie was touched.

Rachel and Elsie went to another part of the yard. There was a soft spot in the snow, and Elsie flew down and laid in it.

"Do you want me to bury you?" laughed Rachel. She covered her tiny friend in snow. It was cold and comfortable for the frost fairy.

"I bet you'd like to stay there forever," Rachel said. "But I'll have to get you out eventually."

Indeed, Elsie was comfortable. The snow all around her was comforting, and the icy cold made her want to fall asleep. Her eyes began to close, but Rachel pulled her out. Then, fairy and human lay back on the snow.

"You're kind of like my best friend," Rachel said. "I bet she would like you."

Elsie smiled.

"My best friend lives far away," said Rachel. "Do you have a best friend?"

Elsie said something. Rachel only heard jingling.

"If you do, is it one of our fairies?" asked Rachel.

Elsie's eyes popped open wide. " _Our_ fairies?" she asked. She assumed that Rachel meant to say " _The fairies that live with me_ ". Elsie hoped that Rachel didn't think of them as her property.

"Sorry," Rachel said, catching Elsie's unease. "I meant to say the fairies that live here. I know that you don't belong to me. I only think of you as friends."

Elsie relaxed.

"If you have a best friend in Never Land, you know what it's like to have a best friend that lives far away," Rachel said. Her eyes had a faraway look. "I miss my best friend, so very much. If I ever saw her face to face again, I would show you to her. I know she'd love you all."

Elsie put her cold hand on Rachel's cheek. She knew what missing a friend felt like. She missed Periwinkle, Spike, and Gliss a lot. She missed all of the frost fairies, in fact.

Rachel shivered. "I think I'd better go in before I get a cold."

Elsie didn't understand how someone could get sick from being too cold, but she knew the other fairies felt differently. They were warm fairies. Whenever Elsie saw them wearing long sleeves, she knew that if it were her wearing the outfit, she would be overheating.

Elsie followed Rachel into the house. Suddenly, there was a barking sound. Elsie burrowed her face into Rachel's heavy coat. She was afraid of the dogs.

The dogs raced down the back hallway's stairs. They were jumping and really needing to go outside. Rachel opened the door for them.

"They really aren't that scary," Rachel said to Elsie.

Elsie frowned. "If you're human-sized," she jingled.

Rachel went into the kitchen and took off her shoes. Then she let Elsie fly to the plastic castle that the fairies lived in. Elsie smiled. It had been a chilly, perfect day.


	37. A Sunny Day

It was February of 2017, and Sophie was laying on her back under Rachel's bed. The fairies' toy castle home that they lived in had been moved to under the bed, because Rachel's mom had gotten tired of it sitting out. So the fairies' house had been moved. Sophie didn't much like it. It was dark under there, and being a light fairy, she didn't like dark. She had been under there for months now. It was hard to keep track of the days, because it was always dark.

"Breeze, want to have a race?" asked Sophie halfheartedly.

In the darkness, Sophie heard noises as Breeze repositioned herself. "Nah," came Breeze's voice. "It's too dark under here anyway."

"Okay," Sophie replied. "I'll just sleep some more."

Of all the fairies that lived at Rachel's house, Sophie had taken the move of her home the hardest. Instead of flying and having fun, all of the fairies mostly just would lie around, drifting in and out of sleep. They were all listless. What was the point of doing anything when it was always dark and every day was the same?

Sophie was just falling back asleep when a bright light shined in her face. Sophie opened her eyes wide. It was light! Maybe she would be able to get out of this horrible place!

She saw a large hand groping around. It grabbed some of her friends, then put them down. Then it grabbed her. It pulled her out from under the bed!

Sophie looked into Rachel's huge face. She was out from under the bed! A wide grin broke out on Sophia's face.

"Sh," whispered Rachel. Then she put Sophie in her jacket pocket. Sophie was elated. If Rachel had on her jacket, then that meant they were going outside!

Sophie listened from inside the pocket. She heard clomping of feet, and then the sound of locks being unlocked. Then Rachel pulled her out of the pocket, and she was outside!

The fairy flew around excitedly. It was quite warm, and the sunlight was hitting her face. Sophie was so glad to see sunlight again. She flew back over to her human friend.

"It's really warm out," remarked Rachel.

Sophie nodded. She flew over to the fairy house. Rachel had just put it back in place. It had been sticking out of the ground at a funny angle all winter. The light fairy landed on the roof of the fairy house and lay down on her back. The sunlight hit her face and body. It warmed her, and she could feel herself getting more energy. Sunshine was her favorite type of light, and it made her feel all warm and bright inside. She bent the light at different angles while she lay there, happy that she had light to bend.

"I'm so sorry you had to go under the bed for so long," Rachel said. "I knew you would have trouble, with it being so dark."

Sophie nodded vigorously.

Rachel scooped Sophie up and gave her a big hug. Sophie smiled. Rachel did care about her after all.

Rachel walked over to the sledding hill that was made of plywood. Sophie followed. The blonde fairy's wings fluttered beautifully as she flew to her human friend.

Rachel picked a blade of dry grass and made a headband for Sophie. Sophie was amazed at how the human's fingers could tie a knot so delicately in a blade of grass. Rachel had learned many things from her fairy friends.

The little fairy flew around the yard, did a front flip, and landed on her feet. Rachel clapped. "You're almost as good as Breeze!" said the girl.

Sophie beamed. That was a high compliment.

"I wish I could have taken you all outside, but you're the one who I knew would be having the hardest time under there," Rachel said.

Sophie nodded. She was glad that the human had chosen her to go outside.

"My family is moving soon," Rachel said. "It will be better for you all there, I promise."

Sophie was startled. She hadn't known Rachel's family was going to move! She was glad Rachel was going to take her and her friends along. She would miss Rachel terribly if the human left without them.

"Do you think the fairies could be delivering spring?" asked Rachel.

Sophie shook her head. Even though it was very warm out, the fairies would not deliver spring so early.

"Well, I guess it's just a really warm day," Rachel said.

Sophie nodded.

Rachel and Sophie had a good time together outside. Rachel talked to Sophie, and Sophie listened, sometimes nodding. She wished that humans could understand fairies, but the way Rachel talked to her, Sophie knew that Rachel could tell what she meant, even without words.

Soon, Rachel stood up and said, "I think we need to go in now."

"NO!" Sophie jingled, flying the other way. The thought of being under that bed was unbearable.

Rachel caught her by the wing. "I know you don't want to go back there, but I have to go inside."

Sophie tried to get away. She could not go back there!

Rachel held her firmly. "I would leave you out here, but I don't want you to get hurt. The dogs could come out."

Sophie nodded. She was terrified of the dogs, but she still didn't want to go back under the bed.

"I'm so sorry that you have to live there," Rachel said. "But I will take you back outside, I promise, if not tomorrow, then maybe the next day. I'm really sorry."

Sophie nodded. She let Rachel carry her back into the house.

"You can tell your friends about it," Rachel said.

Sophie flew reluctantly under the bed. She would tell her friends about the wonderful day. And the promise of a better home after Rachel moved was sweet in her mind. Sophie was beginning to think that it wasn't going to be so bad after all.


	38. Wind and Rain

It was a windy, cold February day. The wind was blowing water drops all over. These cold, barely over freezing drops of water would sting your face if one hit you. Fern, an art fairy, was struggling not to get blown away. Two days ago, it had been warm and sunny, and Fern had been painting a picture of the sun. The day after that, it had been cold, so Fern put on some more clothes and kept painting. But today, it was so windy she could barely fly.

"I wish I'd gone back to Pixie Hollow yesterday," Fern muttered as she battled the wind. She was sure that every other fairy was safely in Pixie Hollow, where the weather was always the same.

Then, a girl came out of a house. Fern hoped she wouldn't be seen, but luck was not with her. The wind blew her into a tree, and she hit her shoulder. Fern cried out, and the wind blew so hard that she was blown right into the girl's hands!

"Oh!" the girl gasped. "Poor fairy, you must be cold!"

Fern nodded. She was not only cold, but also exhausted from fighting the wind. Fern would have flown right out of the girl's hands, but she was too tired to fly.

The girl carried Fern inside her house. Now Fern was frightened. What would the girl do?

Fern panicked. "Help!" she cried. It was then that she saw another fairy perched on a ledge. The fairy held a spear that had black rings around it, and an arrowless bow that had a rubber band for the string.

"It's okay," said the fairy. "Don't be afraid, that human is harmless. She loves fairies."

Fern relaxed. The girl carried her into a room and shut the door. Fern felt a bit worried now, but she was not very afraid. She assumed the other fairy was a scout, and that fairy had told her that the girl was harmless.

The girl touched Fern's hair. Fern had red, curly hair, and it was even messier than usual from being in the wind.

"Your hair is pretty," the girl said. "Are you a painting fairy?"

Fern nodded. She wondered how the girl could tell. Then she looked at her clothes. They were covered in paint splotches.

"You can take off your heavy clothes," the girl said.

Fern took off her turquoise jacket. Underneath was a long-sleeved thin shirt. There was a heart-shaped dip where Fern's heart was. The painting fairy was a little bit embarrassed by it. She had only been born a few days ago, and all of the fairies that had been born recently had heart-shaped dips over their hearts.

"Oh, you must be a newer arrival!" exclaimed the girl.

Fern wondered how this girl knew so much about fairies.

"My name is Rachel," said the girl, "what's yours?"

"Fern," said Fern.

Rachel looked confused. "I can't understand you," she said. "You'll have to write it down."

Fern's face turned red. Her friend Bess, a fellow art fairy, had told her that humans couldn't understand fairies.

Fern looked around for something to write on. She saw a scrap of paper laying on a desk, and a cup with long stick-like things in it. When Fern saw the stick-like things, her heart leapt. Her art-talent instincts told her that the sticks held ink to make art with.

Fern flew over to the sticks. She tried to pick one up, but it slipped out of her grip and clattered to the floor. Rachel walked over and picked it up. She also grabbed a piece of paper and gave it to Fern.

"Here," said the girl. "Write your name on this."

Fern held the stick. It was taller than she was, and her motions were awkward, but she still wrote Fern in beautiful, curlicue letters.

"You have lovely handwriting!" exclaimed Rachel. "Your name is Fern? That is a beautiful name."

Fern smiled. She was proud of her name. Only five days earlier, Queen Clarion had told everyone her name. Fern had come with her name when she had arrived, and the queen had told her that whenever a fairy arrived, the queen heard a little whisper of the fairy's name.

"You can take off your heavy skirt too," Rachel said, interrupting Fern's thoughts.

Fern pulled off her skirt. It was turquoise and gold. Fern had sewed it herself. Underneath the skirt was her underwear, which was robin's egg blue.

Fern stretched her arms. Pain shot through one arm, the arm she had hit on the tree. Fern cried out.

"Are you all right?" Rachel asked, hearing the outburst of jingles.

Fern shook her head. Her arm was throbbing now.

Rachel touched Fern's arm. She screamed, and Rachel pulled the sleeve down. A big purple and black bruise was on Fern's arm. If it hadn't hurt so much, Fern would have admired the color.

"Oh, poor fairy!" Rachel said. She touched the bruise, and Fern jerked.

"Can you move your arm?" asked Rachel.

Fern tried to raise her arm, and a burst of pain shot through it. She shook her head and thought miserably of Elixia, a healing fairy. If Fern tried to fly back to Pixie Hollow now, she would surely be blown far away.

"Poor Fern," Rachel said. "Just try not to move that arm."

Fern gingerly put her jacket back on. Then she put the skirt on.

"I know a bit about hurt fairies," Rachel said. "First there was Mayah, when she broke her leg."

Fern was surprised. She had heard about Mayah from her friends. Every fairy knew about Mayah, who had flown away and lived on a deserted island for 70 years, then had come back to Pixie Hollow, only to move to the mainland and live with a human.

"Then there was that time when Mayah flew through the fence and sprained her ankle," continued Rachel, "and the time that I found Cinnamon with only one leg, and also when Mayah's wings tore off."

Fern gasped. She hadn't heard about Mayah's wings tearing off!

"Don't worry," said Rachel, seeing Fern's shocked face, "when my tear landed on Mayah's wings, they reattached."

Fern was amazed. She vaguely remembered a fairy telling her that the only known cures for a broken wing were lining it up with your twin's wings if you had a twin, or letting a human tear fall on your wing.

Fern was glad that Rachel had experience with hurt fairies. She hoped her arm would feel better soon.

"Would you like me to tell you who the fairies that live at my house are?" asked Rachel. When Fern nodded, Rachel went on. "There's Mayah, the garden fairy, Melon, the garden fairy, Tinkerberry, the tinker fairy, Sophie, the light fairy, Dewdrop, the water fairy, Cassy, the animal fairy, Breeze, the fast-flying fairy, Elsie, the frost fairy, Shimmer, the dust-keeper fairy, Moss, the scout fairy, and Cinnamon, the baking fairy."

Fern smiled. Now she knew that the scout fairy that had told her Rachel was harmless was Moss! Nyx, another scout, had told her about Moss and her twin, Shimmer.

"Fern, you can stay in here and rest," Rachel said. "I'm going to go out."

Fern smiled as she lay on Rachel's massive bed. Her blue eyes twinkled as she watched the friendly human go out of the room. Fern wondered if she wanted to stay at Rachel's house to live.


	39. An Amazing Discovery

Fern had made a decision. She would stay at Rachel's house, at least until the weather was warmer. It was snowing outside, and the warm fairy didn't like snow.

Elsie, on the other hand, loved snow. She was a frost-talent fairy, and she wanted to go outside. Fortunately, Rachel could see that Elsie wanted to go outside.

"I'll go outside with you, Elsie," Rachel said.

Elsie did cartwheels in the air. Then she landed in Rachel's hand. Rachel went out of her room and got bundled up. Then she went outside.

Elsie fluttered around, smiling with happiness. She loved the winter weather. Elsie frosted some little green plants that had sprouted a few days ago when it was warm. The plants had probably already been killed by the cold, but Elsie still wanted to frost them.

Rachel looked up at the trees. She saw a bunch of snowflake fairies throwing snowflakes at her. They jingled merrily, and Rachel thought for certain that they were laughing at her.

Elsie fluttered to the fairy house. Immediately, she saw someone inside.

"Hello?" Elsie said.

"Hello!" a voice answered.

"Who are you?" asked Elsie.

"I am Frostie Jewel," the voice answered.

Elsie smiled. Frostie Jewel was a very old snowflake fairy. She had been born in the Pixie Dust Tree instead of the Winter Woods, because she was born before Lord Milori! She was one of the few winter fairies that could go across the border without her wings breaking.

"Hi, Frostie Jewel," Elsie said, "it's me, Elsie!"

Frostie Jewel grinned. "Elsie!" she cried. "I haven't seen you in a while!"

Elsie was glad to see her friend. She gave Frostie Jewel a hug.

"What are you doing?" asked Rachel.

Elsie flew out. "My friend Frostie Jewel is in there!" she jingled excitedly.

Rachel could not understand her. She reached her hand into the fairy house, and Frostie Jewel screamed. Elsie flew in.

"It's okay," Elsie said. "That's Rachel, my human friend. She would never hurt a fairy."

Frostie Jewel relaxed. She fluttered out of the fairy house.

"What are you doing in there?" asked Rachel.

"I'm only resting," Frostie Jewel said.

Rachel looked surprised. "You – you can talk..." she said, dazed.

"Well, of course I can talk!" Frostie Jewel cried.

"But I can understand you!" Rachel cried.

Frostie Jewel was taken aback. "You can?" she asked.

Rachel, dumbfounded, nodded.

Elsie was amazed too. "How is that possible?" she jingled.

"I don't know," Frostie Jewel said.

Rachel gasped. "You just jingled, and I couldn't understand you!" she exclaimed.

"Really?" Frostie Jewel asked.

"Yes, and just now, I could understand you again!" Rachel cried.

Elsie tapped Frostie Jewel on the shoulder. "When you were talking to Rachel, you spoke in a louder voice than when you talked to me!"

Frostie Jewel whispered, " _Fairies' voices sound like bells to humans because our voices are so tiny!_ "

Elsie gasped. "Your voice is big enough for a human to hear!"

Frostie Jewel nodded slowly.

"That's how Prilla can talk to humans!" gasped Elsie. "She always seems like she's yelling, right?"

Frostie Jewel nodded excitedly. "I bet you could talk to the human girl if you yelled loud enough!"

"Hi," Elsie said. Then she said it louder. She said it louder and louder until Rachel gasped.

"I understood you! You said 'hi'!" Rachel cried.

Elsie grinned. She rubbed her throat. It was sore from yelling so loudly.

"Maybe you shouldn't try it for a while," Frostie Jewel said.

"Yeah, my throat is sore now," agreed Elsie.

"Do you want to come in my house?" asked Rachel.

Frostie Jewel nodded.

Rachel walked to her house and went inside. Elsie flew after her. Then Elsie noticed that Frostie Jewel was walking.

"Is there something wrong?" asked Elsie.

Frostie Jewel fluttered her small wings. "I can't fly very well."

"Why don't you try?" asked Elsie.

Frostie Jewel flew a bit above the ground. Then her wings gave out and she dropped back to the ground.

"I was born around 5,000 years ago," Frostie Jewel explained. "I think I was the last of the snowflake fairies born in the Pixie Dust Tree. I had tiny jewels all over my wings. Queen Clarion said I was special. But the jewels fell off after a really long time, and I can barely fly anymore."

"Oh," Elsie said, "that's terrible!"

Frostie Jewel nodded.

"A human tear will fix a broken wing," Elsie said. "It fixed Mayah's, so it should fix yours."

"Rachel, will you cry on me?" asked Frostie Jewel.

Rachel picked up the fairy and began to think of sad things. A single tear fell from her eye and hit Frostie Jewel's wings.

"Try flying now," Elsie jingled.

Frostie Jewel flew out of Rachel's hand. She flew around the yard happily. "I can fly again!" she yelled.

Then the snowflake fairy flew over to Rachel. Rachel opened the door and went in the house with Elsie and Frostie Jewel following.

Frostie Jewel and Elsie jingled at each other while Rachel went in her room. She pulled all of the other fairies out from under the bed. The fairies all welcomed Frostie Jewel.

"Are you going to live here?" asked Fern.

Frostie Jewel nodded. "Yes!"

Rachel understood Frostie Jewel when she said yes. "Yes what?" asked the human.

"I'm going to live here," Frostie Jewel said.

Rachel smiled. "Oh, good," she said. "I'm glad you like me enough to live here."

Frostie Jewel smiled.

Rachel helped the fairy take off her skirt and shirt. Underneath was a light blue tank top and light blue underwear. Then Rachel gasped.

"You have a dip like Elsie does over your heart!" Rachel cried.

"Yes," Frostie Jewel said. "Even though I'm way older than any of the other fairies here, I was born with this. Queen Clarion said later that the dip over my heart and the jewels on my wings meant the end of winter fairies born in the Pixie Dust Tree."

Elsie put her hands over her heart. "Is there going to be an end to something now, because of all the fairies born with dips over their heart?" she asked.

"I don't know," Frostie Jewel said.

Rachel looked at Frostie Jewel. The pixie's brown eyes were troubled. The winter fairy had lived so long, and yet what Elsie had said worried her. Would something end?

Rachel stroked Frostie Jewel's short black hair. Frostie Jewel had a red headband with a bow on it, and there were two jewels on the headband. Rachel thought that the pale winter fairy looked very pretty indeed.


	40. Paradise

Mayah was in a suitcase. Her wings were cramped from being still so long. It was stuffy in there. All her friends were near her, also stiff.

The little fairy was so tired of being in that suitcase. She had been in there for weeks, maybe months. And all because Rachel and her family were moving. Mayah was beginning to wish she had flown away to Pixie Hollow.

All the fairy could do now was sleep and wake up. She was getting hungry, too, as she hadn't eaten for a while. Rachel hadn't thought to pack food with the fairies.

Suddenly, Mayah heard a loud zipping noise. She saw light. Mayah gasped. Finally, she could get out! Mayah quickly flew out of the suitcase.

Rachel grabbed the pixie by the wings. "Hi, Mayah!"

Mayah jingled excitedly. She was finally out of the suitcase!

Rachel looked in the suitcase at all the other fairies. "Sorry, friends," she said. "I can only bring Mayah out today."

All the other fairies jingled sadly, but Rachel zipped the suitcase shut.

Mayah took in her surroundings. She was in a little room with orange curtains. There were two beds in the room. The little fairy heard birds chirping outside.

"Let's go outside," Rachel suggested.

Mayah was thinking the exact same thing. She flew outside with Rachel following.

What happened next was a garden fairy's dream. Mayah looked around. Tropical trees were everywhere. There were many kinds of palm trees. What was even better, there were fruits growing on the trees! Mayah was amazed by this beautiful sight. It appeared Rachel had moved to a tropical paradise! It was enough to make the little pixie forget the many stuffy weeks in the suitcase.

There were lots of tall rocks, almost boulders, sitting on the ground. Rachel ran over to one and scrambled up it, with Mayah flying behind. There was a brick on top, and the fairy flew over to it and stood on it. She tried to sit, but remembered her broken leg.

Mayah became aware of something behind her. She turned around and saw a beautiful green leaf growing. She had never seen such an intense shade of green before. The veins of the leaf were lovely, intricately detailed into little swirls not unlike a fairy's wing pattern. Mayah leaned on the leaf, stumbling as it could not hold her weight. The fairy fluttered her wings in time, and she righted herself. Mayah flapped her wings in the breeze, getting all the cramps out. Then she leaned back on the leaf, but fluttered her wings a bit to keep herself steady.

Rachel, who had realized that the fairy must be very hungry, was eyeing some little fruits on a tree. She walked almost to the edge of the rock and tried to reach the most delicious-looking one, but she almost fell!

The human saw another good-looking fruit on the tree. She almost picked it when she saw a red ant on the fruit. "Fire ant!" Rachel gasped. Her mother had warned her that there were fire ants in the place that they lived.

Rachel saw another fruit from the same bunch. It was lower down, and it had a few impurities on it. But Rachel decided that one was a good one to pick. It was a bit far.

"Mayah, can you help me pick this?" Rachel asked.

Mayah wasn't listening. She was busy studying the detailed leaf and trying to find out where the best place to make it grow was.

"Mayah, I wish you would help me," Rachel groaned.

The little girl leaned off the rock and quickly picked the fruit. She pulled herself back just in time to keep herself from falling.

Rachel walked over to the brick Mayah was on. She tapped the fairy's shoulder. Mayah turned around. Immediately, she saw the fruit in Rachel's hand.

It was about the size of a little tomato, and it was yellow. There were a few imperfections on the skin, but it looked so delicious. Mayah knew exactly what the fruit was called, but she had never tasted it. Suddenly, Rachel set the fruit right in front of Mayah!

"Oh, my, that looks so delicious, and I'm starving…" Mayah jingled. She tried to hold herself back. It was Rachel's fruit.

"That's for you, I picked it for you," Rachel said to the fairy.

Mayah gasped and picked up the fruit. It was so delicious-looking! She knew she should cut it up properly before she ate it, but the little garden fairy was so hungry she didn't care. Mayah shoved her entire arm into the fruit and dug out yellow deliciousness. Mayah shoved it in her mouth and almost passed out from the taste. It was so good! Mayah forgot what the fruit was called, she forgot everything, the moments the fruit was in her mouth. Then she swallowed, and her deliriousness melted away. Mayah picked the fruit up again, this time pouring the fruit juice directly into her mouth. Some of it got all over her face and ran down onto her dress, but Mayah didn't care.

A few moments later, Mayah put the fruit down. She was full now. Mayah was so happy to be where she was.

Rachel was staring at the fairy. It wasn't like Mayah to be so messy. But then again, Mayah hadn't eaten for months.

Mayah was smiling brighter than ever. The fruit had been so good!

Rachel said to Mayah, "Maybe we should leave the rest of this fruit for other fairies. I know I got a glimpse of a few fairies around here."

It was summer, so some fairies must have made their summer camp around here somewhere. Mayah felt so lucky to be here, and she knew the fairies who had their summer camp here must feel very lucky too. This was truly paradise for a garden talent.

"I want to show you more stuff," Rachel said to the fairy.

Mayah fluttered by Rachel as she climbed down the rock. Then, the girl walked down the path with Mayah flying behind her. Suddenly, Rachel saw a person walking by!

"Mayah, come here and stay still," whispered the girl.

Mayah fluttered to Rachel's hand and fell into it. Rachel looked around for a place to hide the fairy. She first looked at her shoe. Mayah flew to the shoe tried to get in. But it was a tight fit, and besides it was smelly.

Rachel didn't have pockets that day. She looked everywhere on her body for a place to hide Mayah. Then she had an idea.

"Mayah, I'm going to put you in my shorts. The elastic will hold you there."

Mayah was disgusted, but it was the only way to hide. Rachel picked her up and put her in her shorts. Then she flipped her shirt over the fairy. Mayah tried to keep her glow down as she hid.

Rachel began to walk around. Every so often the girl would put her finger on Mayah to make sure she was still there. A dog began to bark. The fairy was terrified and held on tighter as Rachel kept walking.

Suddenly, Rachel stopped. She saw a fluffy white dog that she was afraid of. She accidentally tapped Mayah a little harder than she meant to, and the fairy slipped farther down.

Mayah tried to keep herself up, but it was hard to flutter her wings in such a tight place. Mayah slipped down and crashed into the sidewalk.

"Oh!" Rachel cried. She picked up the fairy. "Are you okay?" she whispered, trying not to wake the dog.

Mayah nodded, and Rachel put the pixie back in her shorts.

Rachel inched slowly away from the dog. Then she saw her mom.

"Rachel, could you carry these blankets up to the house?" her mother asked.

"Okay…" Rachel answered, and carried the blankets to her house. She went over to her bedroom and set them on the bed. Then she pulled Mayah out.

Mayah was surprised to be inside again. Rachel lifted the fairy to her face and said, "I think you need to be inside for now."

Mayah's smile wavered. The fairy didn't want to be inside again.

Rachel looked at Mayah for a long time.

"I've missed you," Rachel said.

Rachel stroked Mayah's hair. The redheaded fairy smiled brighter. Rachel stared at her face for a long time.

"You are so pretty," Rachel said. "I'm so sorry about the suitcase. It was the only way I could take you along. Did you know I rode in an airplane?"

The little girl continued to talk to the fairy. Mayah listened attentively, sometimes jingling when the girl asked a question. Although Rachel couldn't understand the tiny fairy, she could usually guess what Mayah was saying. Without being able to understand Mayah, the two friends could still sort of have a conversation.

Soon, Rachel picked up Mayah. "I have to go somewhere, so I'll have to put you back in the suitcase."

Mayah was sad, and her wings drooped. Rachel remembered that Mayah's face was sticky, and she wiped it off before putting Mayah back in the suitcase.

The next day, Rachel was up very early. She unzipped the suitcase and pulled Mayah and Melon out. "Melon, you're going to love this!" Rachel said.

Rachel walked outside with the fairies in her pocket. There was dew on the ground. Rachel climbed a rock, but it was slippery and she started to slip! Rachel got down safely.

"I'm sorry, it's too slippery out here," Rachel said. Then she walked back in the house. She pulled the fairies out of her pocket. "You can come outside later when it's dry."

Melon was disappointed that she could not see the paradise Mayah had told about, but she was glad that she would be able to go out later. As the fairies went back in the suitcase, Melon was imagining what it would be like outside.


	41. Rock Pools

It was a wet day outside, and Rachel was sure it would be a terrible day to play. It had rained all morning, and it was very wet. But Rachel went to her suitcase and opened it. She dug around until she found Dewdrop.

Dewdrop was excited. "Yes! I can finally get out of the suitcase!" she jingled.

Rachel and Dewdrop went outside. It was still wet on the ground. Rachel scrambled up a rock with the fairy flying after her. Just then, Dewdrop saw something amazing.

There was a tiny puddle of water in the rock. It was the perfect size for a fairy. Dewdrop, being a water fairy, was excited. First, she flew over to the little pool and pulled out some water drops.

Rachel smiled. "You found the rock pools!"

Dewdrop jingled. She took off her shoes and dipped her toes in the water. The cool water felt so good on Dewdrop's feet. The little fairy picked up more water and put it to her lips. She drank. Water had never tasted so good in her life.

Dewdrop walked around in the rock pool. Suddenly, her foot slipped, and the little fairy fell into the pool!

Luckily, the pool was not deep, and Dewdrop's mouth and nose were above water. However, her wings were soaked, and so Dewdrop could not fly. She floundered around, trying to stand up.

Rachel picked the fairy up out of the water. Dewdrop smiled. "Thank you!" she jingled.

It was starting to sprinkle. Dewdrop took her shirt and skirt off, revealing her rose-colored swimsuit underneath. The little pixie hopped into the water and laid down, letting the cool water flow over her body. She kept her face above water so she could breathe.

Rachel saw another rock pool on a different rock. She asked Dewdrop, "Do you want to go to another rock pool?"

The fairy bobbed her head enthusiastically. She crawled out of the rock pool and put her clothes and shoes back on over her swimsuit. Then, the pixie walked to the edge of the rock.

"Be careful," warned Rachel. "Your wings are wet, so you can't fly back up if you fall."

"Oh, I won't fall," Dewdrop jingled.

Rachel began climbing down the rock. Suddenly, she heard frenzied jingling. She looked over at Dewdrop.

Dewdrop had stepped a little too close to the edge. Without being able to steady herself with her wings, the tiny pixie had fallen right over the edge of the rock! Now she was falling and screaming. Rachel watched Dewdrop fall so she would know exactly where the fairy had fallen.

"Now I've got to go rescue Dewdrop," Rachel muttered.

The girl climbed carefully down the rock. When Rachel reached the bottom, she looked around for Dewdrop.

The little fairy had fallen behind a smaller rock. She could not fly, and she could not figure out how to get up.

Rachel searched around, but she could not find Dewdrop. Then, she heard faint jingling. Rachel saw Dewdrop! The girl picked the fairy up.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked.

Dewdrop nodded. She hadn't been hurt when she hit the ground, but she was a little shaken up.

Rachel carried Dewdrop to the rock with another rock pool. Then she climbed the rock. The fairy had to hold on tight to Rachel's hand so she wouldn't fall.

The human reached the rock pool and set the fairy down by it. Dewdrop walked over, took off her shoes, and stepped in. Unlike the other rock pool, this one had plants growing in it, and it was more like a little swamp.

Soon, the fairy was tired of this rock pool. She wanted to go back to the other one, and so Rachel carried her to it. After the little fairy had waded for a while, Rachel asked, "Are you hungry?"

Dewdrop nodded vigorously. She was starving!

Dewdrop climbed out of the rock pool and sat down near the edge. Rachel told her, "I'm going to go get some fruit. Stay here and don't fall off! If you see a human that isn't me, stay still and don't move."

Dewdrop nodded to show that she understood. Rachel climbed off the rock and went to the fruit tree. Then, she heard someone say, "Can you come help me?"

Rachel turned to look. "Okay," she said.

The girl went to help the two ladies carry some things down the hill to another house. Dewdrop wasn't paying attention to where Rachel was going. The fairy was enjoying the mist-like raindrops fall on her soaking wet wings.

All the way down, Rachel worried about Dewdrop. What if the fairy fell? What if another human came and took Dewdrop? Anything could happen to a tiny fairy who couldn't fly. Rachel tried to assure herself that nothing would happen. She was just worrying about her friend, and nothing would really happen.

Rachel delivered the things to the house. Then she ran back up the hill as fast as her little legs could carry her. She was almost to the rock when she saw a dog whose leash was tangled around a tree. Rachel wanted to go back to the rock and make sure Dewdrop was safe, but she couldn't just leave the dog there. The kindhearted child helped the dog untangle itself.

Dewdrop was beginning to get worried. Where was Rachel? She had said it would only be a little bit. Dewdrop stood up to look around for Rachel. Then she saw Rachel a short distance away next to a dog. The pixie relaxed and sat back down.

Rachel climbed up the rock. She was very relieved to see that the fairy was still there and unhurt. The girl pulled a yellow fruit out of her pocket and gave it to the fairy. Dewdrop washed it in the rock pool. Then she ripped it open and shoved the fruit onto her head. The little pixie ate until she was full. Then she put the skin of the fruit on the rock.

Rachel saw another rock pool, a big one. She asked Dewdrop if she wanted to go to it. Dewdrop nodded. Rachel told Dewdrop that she would throw her to the rock. Dewdrop wasn't sure that was a very good idea, but she nodded her head.

Rachel tossed Dewdrop to the rock. The fairy had no control over her body, so she did a bunch of weird flips in the air. She tried to land on the rock, but since she couldn't use her wings, she sailed over the rock and onto the grass. In moments, Rachel was next to her.

"Whoops! Sorry about that," Rachel said. "Are you okay?"

Dewdrop nodded. Rachel carried her up the rock and placed her in the rock pool. Dewdrop relaxed for a while. Finally, it started to get dark.

Rachel didn't want Dewdrop to be wet in her suitcase, so she shook the fairy back and forth until her wings were almost dry. Then the girl wiped Dewdrop's wings on her shirt.

Rachel told her fairy friend that it was time to go inside, and so she carried the fairy into the house. The girl put Dewdrop back in the suitcase and zipped it shut. Dewdrop excitedly told her friends about the wonderful time she had had outside. It was truly a fun day for the little water fairy.


	42. The Coffee Tree

Ah, summer. It was July of 2017, and it was warm and sunny outside. Lovely palm trees and fruit trees dotted the area, and in a little house, in a little room with orange curtains, a little girl was waking up.

The girl walked outside in her pajamas to feel the weather. She was happy to see that it was sunny and warm outside. The day before, it had been wet and rainy.

Outside, a few fairies were flying around. They had made their summer camp in a cave under a rock. Where it was, it was summer year-round, so there had to be fairies there all the time. Every time the seasons changed in other parts of the world, the fairies would go home to Pixie Hollow, and another group of fairies would come to the summer camp.

The girl who was outside saw a few of the fairies. She used her fingers to make an outline of fairy wings on her back. This was a sign to tell the fairies she was friendly. Then the girl went back inside.

A few moments later, the girl came out again. Four fairies were following her! One was a scout fairy named Moss. Another was an animal fairy named Cassy. The other two were garden fairies named Mayah and Melon.

Mayah was telling Melon all about the beautiful plants and trees as Melon looked around in amazement. This was a garden fairy's dream come true! When Mayah had told Melon about the paradise-like place, Melon had thought she was joking. But no, this was real!

The girl climbed up a rock. The fairies followed her. Now the fairies from the summer camp were watching the girl curiously. Who was she, and why were the four fairies following her?

All four fairies sat on a brick atop the rock – except Mayah, who was unable to sit. Mayah was standing up instead.

"This is a beautiful place," the girl said to the fairies. "You can do whatever you want to do… Cassy, you're attracting ants!"

"Sorry, Rachel," jingled Cassy, who had been telling the ants to come over to her. One ant had even crawled up Cassy's arm and onto her face and head!

All the fairies who had been watching the girl were surprised. So, this was the famous Rachel, the girl that Mayah and her friends lived with! What was she doing here?

Cassy told the ants not to go by the human. The ants crawled away.

"Thanks," Rachel said.

Moss was itching to do some scouting. Her super-sensitive ears were taking in the sounds of this new place. Her pointed ears picked up the sounds. The fairy was figuring out what were the normal sounds of the place, and what was out of the ordinary. Her sensitive nose was figuring out what this new place's smells were. Her sharp eyes were searching to memorize every little detail of this place. Her fingers were feeling the rock, finding the best gripping places and remembering where it was slippery. She tasted the wind with her tongue. It was a fruity taste.

Moss, like all scouts, had very sensitive senses. Each of her five senses were much more thorough than a normal fairy's. A scout was always paying attention to his or her surroundings. Even when she was asleep, her ears were still listening, her nose was still smelling, and her tongue was still tasting the air. A scout could hear sounds well past the human range of hearing, and past a non-scout fairy's range of hearing too. Her nose could smell smells not even the most sensitive human nose could pick up. Her eyes saw every minute detail, every tiny movement. She saw many more colors than regular eyes could see. She could feel any tiny difference in temperature, every small crack. Eating was so much more to a scout fairy. Every different flavor was registered. She could taste even the slightest variation in a recipe. And her brain. She memorized every different sound, every different scent, everything she saw. She knew every texture she had ever felt. She knew every taste. A scout fairy's senses are so finely-tuned, human words cannot even begin to explain what a scout fairy sensed.

Rachel told Moss, "You can go scout, and if you see any danger, tell the other fairies."

Moss flew quickly to another rock. She found the perfect place to stand, out of sight, and watch for danger.

Meanwhile, Cassy was petting all the ants that came her way. Rachel, who did not particularly like the idea of Cassy attracting some fire ants, told Cassy that she could perch in a tree and pet all the ants there. Cassy did so gladly. A butterfly landed on her head, and the animal fairy talked to it softly.

Rachel took Mayah and Melon down to a tree with berries on it. But before they reached the tree, Rachel saw some people walking close to the tree!

"Danger! Humans!" Moss jingled. Although Rachel couldn't understand her, Mayah and Melon did. They took off flying towards the rock with the brick on it.

A while later, Rachel came up the hill. She looked exhausted and thirsty.

"Time… to go… inside…" panted Rachel, who had reached Moss's hiding place.

Soundlessly, Moss flew after Rachel. Rachel called to Mayah and Melon, who flew down from the rock into Rachel's hand.

Cassy was having a conversation with a beetle about how delicious the tree's fruits were when Rachel came.

"Cassy, time to go inside," Rachel panted.

"No! I'm talking to this beetle!" jingled Cassy.

Rachel held out her hand, waiting for Cassy to fly to it. Moss went over to Cassy.

"Cassy, she's exhausted and she needs water," Moss jingled. "You can come out later."

Cassy didn't want to go inside, but when she saw the look on Moss's face and the pointy stick in Moss's hand, she flew over to Rachel's hand. "Catch you later, beetle!" Cassy called.

Rachel carried the fairies inside and put them in the suitcase.

A long while later, Melon had just woken up from a nap when Rachel pulled her out of the suitcase and put her in her pocket. "We're going exploring!" the human said.

Melon did not mind going exploring. There were so many different plants around that she wished she could stay outside all the time!

Rachel walked around a bit before she went back to the house. "Come on, I'm going to go get Mayah," the human said.

Melon had been in Rachel's pocket the entire time and hadn't seen anything but the brown cloth Rachel's pocket was made of. She didn't know where Rachel was until she saw Mayah being lowered into the same pocket. Rachel pulled the two garden-talent fairies out of her pocket, and there was the rock with the brick on top!

"We're going to pick those fruits off the tree," Rachel said. She led the two pixies to the tree with berries on it. Mayah and Melon landed on the branches, and they immediately knew what the fruits were.

Mayah picked a few berries and dropped them into Rachel's hand, but they started to roll off. Rachel put them in her pocket. Then Melon picked a few more and put them in Rachel's pocket. The fairies flew to the other side of the tree. Rachel followed them.

Then a girl walked past the tree. Mayah and Melon froze.

"What are you doing with those poisonous berries? If you touch one it will make you itch!" the girl said.

"Oh!" Rachel gasped.

The girl walked away, and Rachel looked scared.

"These aren't poisonous," jingled Melon. "They are just coffee cherries!"

Unfortunately, Rachel couldn't understand her.

"Come on, I'm going to go ask a grownup what these are," Rachel said.

" _Coffee cherries!_ " Mayah jingled.

Rachel picked the two pixies up and put them in her other pocket. Then she went to ask a grownup what the fruits were.

Mayah could hear muffled voices.

" _Those are coffee cherries! There are coffee plants all over the property,_ " Mayah heard a woman say.

"See, I told you," jingled Melon to Rachel.

Rachel only heard jingling.

Soon, Rachel pulled the fairies out of her pocket. They were back at the coffee tree. Mayah and Melon enthusiastically ripened and picked many coffee cherries.

When Rachel's pocket was bulging, they went over to a rock and sat on it. Rachel found a little dip in the rock where she could set the coffee cherries. Mayah and Melon flew over to the dip and pulled out two coffee cherries. Mayah peeled hers. Melon peeled hers. Then they ate the coffee cherries and threw the seed part.

Mayah and Melon were full. Then Rachel had an idea.

"You two are garden fairies, right?" the girl asked.

Both fairies nodded.

"Then, what do you say we plant two of the coffee cherries?" Rachel continued.

Both fairies nodded excitedly.

Rachel hopped off the rock and ran to a spot of dirt. The fairies followed her, carrying their coffee cherries.

"You should do them one at a time, so I can watch you both," Rachel suggested.

"Now who wants to plant theirs first?" Rachel asked.

Both fairies raised their hands. Then they began to fight about who would plant their cherry first.

"Please, please don't fight!" Rachel cried. "Why doesn't Mayah go first, because she is older?"

Mayah and Melon agreed.

"What year was the year you were laughed in?" asked Rachel.

Mayah took a bamboo stick and wrote 1945 in the dirt.

"So, you are…" Rachel counted on her fingers. "Seventy-two years old."

Mayah nodded.

"Wow!" the child gasped.

Mayah began to dig in the dirt with her bamboo stick. It was very hard dirt, and Mayah could barely dig it.

"This is not good planting soil," Mayah remarked.

"Really?" Melon asked.

"Feel it!" jingled Mayah.

Melon dug in the dirt and almost broke her finger!

Finally, there was a hole big enough to put the coffee cherry in. Mayah softly set the coffee cherry in the hole, then gently covered it with dirt. Rachel watched with interest.

"It might not grow," Mayah jingled.

Next, Melon used a bamboo stick to dig in the dirt. She dug a hole and set the coffee cherry in it, then took a chunk of dirt and covered the coffee cherry up.

Both fairies them placed their hands on the dirt where the coffee cherries were under. As a leaf grew out of the ground, Rachel gasped.

"Wait!" the girl yelled. "People will think it is strange if all the sudden a tree is there when it wasn't there before!"

Both garden fairies nodded and flew away from the place they had planted the coffee cherries. They would let the coffee trees grow slowly and naturally, if they even grew.

"What do you want to do now?" asked Rachel.

The garden fairies began jingling excitedly.

"Wait, wait!" yelled Rachel. "I want to go inside, I'm getting tired!"

Mayah and Melon looked at Rachel. Melon frowned.

"Besides," Rachel said quietly, "I want to show the rest of the coffee cherries to my family. How about after it rains, we can come out?"

Mayah and Melon agreed, and Rachel took them inside. What a lovely day it had been!


	43. Ferni's Masterpiece

The day was hot, and Ferni was stuck in a suitcase. She was trying to admire the colors, but all she could see were the same shades of black she had seen for weeks. Ferni was almost tired of the color black.

Suddenly, the suitcase was unzipped! Ferni saw beautiful colors. The little art fairy flew out of the suitcase and into Rachel's hands.

"Fern! Ferni! Today is your day!" Rachel shouted. "We're going to paint!"

Ferni jingled joyfully. She loved painting!

Ferni's nickname was Fern, but she didn't use it that much. There was another fairy whose name was Fern, and she didn't want to be confused with that fairy.

The little fairy was flying around the room. Rachel got her paint box and ran outside, with the art fairy flying after her. The little girl climbed up a rock and opened her paint box. Ferni flew after her and sat down on the rock.

"I'm going to go try to make a paintbrush for you," Rachel said.

Ferni sat back to look around at the beautiful scenery while she waited for Rachel to make the paintbrush. The fairy was so happy to see more colors than she had seen for a while.

The little girl was trying to make a paintbrush out of sticks and grass, but her fingers were too big to tie a knot tight enough in the grass. Finally, Rachel managed to make a sort-of paintbrush and a dotting tool.

"I'm sorry this isn't a very good paintbrush," Rachel told Ferni.

Ferni looked at the paintbrush. It was almost unrecognizable as a paintbrush. The human poured paint on a leaf for Ferni to use.

The little fairy began to paint. The paintbrush broke apart, and it wasn't long until the dotting tool broke too. Ferni was frustrated. She pulled a cattail off a plant and used that instead.

Soon the fairy was finished. The picture was of herself! Rachel could see the resemblance. It wasn't as good as it could have been, because the paintbrush wasn't very good and the paints were made by humans, but it still bore a good resemblance to the little art-talent fairy.

"Wow, Ferni! That looks really good!" Rachel gasped. "I wish I could paint like that."

Ferni smiled. She had fresh paint splotches on her outfit, and it had felt so good to paint.


	44. A New Home

Mayah was sleeping in the suitcase. She had been in there for months! Suddenly a golden light appeared from the sky. Mayah immediately awoke. Rachel had unzipped the suitcase!

"Fairies, welcome to your new home!" Rachel cried.

She pulled each fairy out of the suitcase in the order she had found them in. Mayah, who was first, flew to Rachel's bed. It was a fairy-print bedspread, and Mayah was excited to see the huge picture of Tinker Bell.

"Look at this!" jingled Mayah. "She has pictures of Tink on her bed! Whoever made this must love fairies!"

Mayah paused a moment to look at Rachel's room. The walls were white, and so was the floor and ceiling. It was not a colorless room, though. Above Rachel's bed was a purple hammock. "Breeze will like that," Mayah jingled.

The door to the room was mahogany colored, and there was also a cute dresser in the room. It was also a mahogany color, and it had a few drawers, one cupboard, and two sliding doors.

All the fairies were laying on a piece of paper that Rachel had on the floor. Then Rachel opened the cupboard in her dresser. "Mayah, come..." started the girl. Then she said, "Wait a minute. Some things fell down."

Rachel fixed the things that had fallen over. Then she said, "Mayah can see it first."

Mayah flew over to the cupboard and gasped. Hand-drawn pictures of fairies hung on the walls. A sign said, "Welcome to your new home!" All the fairies' names were written on the paper in cursive. Fairy-sized hammocks hung from the ceiling and the walls. But the thing that was most exciting to Mayah lay in the back of the room, next to a pink fake rose, was Mayah's bed.

"My bed!" cried Mayah, fluttering over to it. She laid in it. "It isn't broken!"

"I brought that all the way from home," Rachel said.

"Okay, now Melon, come over here," said Rachel.

Melon flew over. Her eyes widened when she saw the room. "Look, that picture has me!" she jingled. Melon fluttered around the room. "My name is on the welcome!" She jingled. Melon fluttered around the room, jingling. Soon, she flew to the roof and saw a pink hammock.

"That's your hammock," Rachel said. "You can try it out!"

Melon flew to the hammock and got in. She smiled.

"Do you like it?" asked Rachel.

Melon nodded, jingling.

"Tinkerberry," Rachel said, "you can see it next."

Tinkerberry flew over to Rachel. "Oh, you are really sweaty," she said.

"I was in the bottom of the suitcase under everyone else," the tinker fairy jingled.

Rachel wiped the sweat off Tinkerberry's forehead. "My, you are sticky!"

Tinkerberry flew into the room. The first thing she noticed was that the hammocks were held up by masking tape.

"Rachel, masking tape is not strong enough to hold a fairy's weight," Tinkerberry jingled indignantly. She pointed at the tape holding up her hammock.

"The tape?" guessed Rachel. "Oh, it isn't strong. Sorry, that's all I had. Maybe I can get my dad's duct tape later to fix it up."

"Ok, but make it quick!" Tinkerberry jingled.

"Do you want to go in your hammock?" asked Rachel.

Tinkerberry nodded and flew into the hammock. She tested its weight. It would hold for now.

"If any of them break, you can fix them," Rachel told Tinkerberry.

Tinkerberry nodded and smiled. Fixing things was her talent!

"Sophie, you're next," Rachel said.

Sophie flew over to the cupboard. She jingled while looking at Rachel. Rachel covered her eyes and turned her around. Then she took her fingers off her eyes.

Sophie gasped. She fluttered around, pointing at the pictures. "Look, there's Mayah being born!" she jingled. "My name's on the welcome poster!"

Suddenly, Sophie began jingling. She flew out of the cupboard and touched the door.

"You want me to close it?" asked Rachel.

Sophie nodded, then flew back into the cupboard.

Rachel closed the door. Sophie jingled loudly. Then Rachel opened it again.

"It's too dark in here, it's too dark!" Sophie jingled.

Rachel, who knew that Sophie hated the darkness, said, "Don't worry, Sophie. I'll buy a flashlight and put it in here soon."

Sophie smiled. "Thanks," she jingled, even though Rachel couldn't understand her.

"This is your hammock," Rachel said, pointing to a yellow hammock that was close to the ceiling. Sophia flew over to the hammock and tried to get in. It was almost too close to the ceiling, and she managed to get in by taking off her underskirt and squishing herself in.

"Sorry, Sophie," Rachel said. "I didn't have very much yellow cloth! I'll have to get some more soon."

"That's okay," came Sophie's muffled jingles.

"Is the hammock okay?" asked Rachel.

Sophie nodded as well as she could and jingled. Rachel took that to be a yes.

"Cassy, you get to see it next," Rachel said.

"Yes!" Cassy jingled.

Rachel smiled as Cassy flew into the room. She fluttered around. The first thing she noticed was the hammocks on the ceiling. "Is this one mine?" she jingled, pointing to a orangeish-yellow hammock that was close to the ceiling. It was also very short.

"Cassy, that's your hammock!" Rachel cried.

Cassy tried to get in, but it was too short. She turned sideways and laid in the hammock.

"Is it too squished?" Rachel asked.

Cassy shook her head. "Nah, it's fine," she jingled.

"Are you okay sleeping like that?" asked Rachel.

Cassy nodded.

"Okay, great!" Rachel said. "Dewdrop, you can see your new home next."

Dewdrop delicately fluttered over to Rachel's hand. Then she looked into the room. She grinned when she saw how pretty it was. "Look how you did my name!" she jingled. She fluttered around the room. "It's a little dry," she remarked.

"Do you like your new home?" Rachel asked, oblivious to what Dewdrop had said.

Dewdrop nodded. "It's okay," she jingled.

"I'm so glad you like it!" Rachel said. She pointed at a blue hammock. "That hammock's yours."

"Ooh!" Dewdrop jingled. "It's so lovely!"

She flew to the hammock and got in. The blue hammock was spacious and hung low. Dewdrop loved it.

"Do you like it?" asked Rachel.

Dewdrop nodded and jingled a response.

"Breeze, you can see your new home next," Rachel said.

Breeze zipped around Rachel's room, then landed on Rachel's finger. Rachel pointed to the cupboard.

Breeze flew into the cupboard and zipped around, banging into the walls. "It's a little small," she jingled.

"Do you like your new home?" Rachel asked.

Breeze nodded. "It's fine."

"This is your hammock," Rachel said. She pointed to a very dark blue, almost purple hammock. "Sorry it's not purple, but I didn't have any purple cloth.

"Humph," Breeze jingled, crossing her arms.

Breeze zoomed over to her hammock and laid down. She began swinging fast.

"Careful!" Rachel called. "It isn't hooked on very well."

Breeze calmed down a bit. "It's okay," she jingled. "At least it can swing."

"Do you like it?" asked Rachel.

Breeze nodded.

Rachel smiled. "Okay, Elsie, you can see now," she said.

Elsie flew over to the room. She smiled. "It's beautiful," she jingled.

"You look hot," Rachel said.

Elsie nodded.

"I'm sorry," Rachel said. "It's never winter here, so I hope you'll do okay."

Elsie frowned. She thought of going to Pixie Hollow for the whole winter and smiled.

"This is your hammock," said Rachel, pointing to a blue-and-white checked hammock that was attached to two of the walls. "I hope it will keep you cool!"

Elsie fluttered over to the hammock and laid down in it. It was a perfect fit, and Elsie sighed. It was a little warm, so Elsie frosted it.

"Do you like it?" asked Rachel.

"Oh, yes!" Elsie jingled, nodding.

"I'm so glad," Rachel said. "Moss, you can see next."

Moss flew over to the cupboard and perched on the latch, taking it all in. Her super-sensitive eyes saw every color in the dim light. It smelled of wood and cloth.

"This is your hammock," said Rachel, pointing to a mouse-brown hammock that was attached to two walls. It was directly under Elsie's.

Moss flew over and sniffed it. It smelled of cloth. She put her spear down and touched the hammock. It was soft, but not too soft. Moss liked that.

Moss laid down in the hammock. It was not spacious, but it wasn't too small either. A perfect fit.

"I like it," jingled Moss.

"Do you like it?" Rachel, who couldn't understand Moss, asked.

Moss nodded, four sharp movements of her head.

"Wonderful!" Rachel cried. "Okay, Shimmer, you're next!"

Shimmer flew into the room. "Ooh, so pretty!" she jingled.

Shimmer flew over to the picture on the back wall. Rachel had drawn it, and it showed Mayah being born. "She drew Queen Clarion!" Shimmer cried.

Shimmer then flew over to the welcome picture. "My name," she said.

"Beautiful work, Rachel," Shimmer jingled.

"Here is your hammock," Rachel said, pointing to a gold-colored hammock right under Moss's.

"Moss, my hammock is right under yours!" Shimmer cried.

"I noticed that, sister," Moss said.

Shimmer laid down in the hammock. It was a little tight.

"Sorry," Rachel said, noticing Shimmer's predicament. "I don't have much gold cloth. I'll make a bigger hammock for you later when I get some more."

"Thanks," jingled Shimmer.

"Is it okay?" asked Rachel.

"Oh, yes!" Shimmer jingled, nodding. "I love that you put it right under Moss's!"

"I wonder why..." Moss said. She was ready to sleep after being shown the new room. Sometimes, new places gave her sensory overload.

"I'm glad you like it, even if it's a little small," Rachel said. "Cinnamon, you can see it next!"

Cinnamon fluttered her small wings and flew into the room. She gave a little gasp. "Oh, it is so pretty," she said. "Where could I cook?"

"I'm sure you can cook later," Moss said. "Could you please keep it quieter?"

"Sorry," jingled Cinnamon.

"Here's your hammock," Rachel said. "I know you like green, so I made it be green."

A pretty green hammock hung from the walls opposite Elsie and the fairy sisters. Cinnamon flew in and smiled. It was pretty big, and she almost drifted off to sleep. Then Rachel asked, "Do you like it?"

Cinnamon nodded. "I love it!"

"Ferni, you can see it next," Rachel said.

Ferni flew over to the room. She gasped when she saw it. It was a deep mahogany color, and it was so beautiful! She flew over to the picture of Mayah being born and admired its color. "You drew this?" she asked Rachel.

Rachel said, "Do you like the picture? I drew it myself."

"Wow!" Ferni jingled.

She fluttered down to the welcome picture. "I love that you did my name in different colors!" Then she flew over to the picture of Mayah and a few other garden fairies getting the dress for Mayah. "I assume you drew this too?" asked Ferni. "It's a work of art!"

Ferni flew over to the last picture, the one of a few of the fairies. She gasped in surprise when she saw the drawing of herself. "It's me!" Ferni cried. "You did me good, except why is my skin the color of snow?"

Ferni admired the stickers that were holding the pictures on. Then she flew over to a deep red hammock. She ran her fingers over it. "It's soft, but it frays a bit," Ferni said. "Where did you get that cloth?"

"Do you like your hammock?" asked Rachel.

"This is mine?" Ferni exclaimed. "I love it!" She flew into it and laid down. From her vantage point, she could see the pictures on the walls.

"Do you like it?" Rachel asked again.

Ferni remembered that Rachel couldn't understand her. She nodded. Rachel seemed satisfied. "Frostie Jewel, you can see the room next," Rachel said.

The very old fairy flew into the room. "It's beautiful," she jingled.

Then she saw the picture of Mayah being born. "Oh, I remember that time!" Frostie Jewel jingled.

"Here is your hammock," Rachel said, pointing to a white hammock above Ferni's.

Frostie Jewel grinned. "I like it," she jingled. She flew into the hammock and laid down. It was a bit small, but it was still comfortable.

"Do you like it?" asked Rachel.

Frostie Jewel realized she hadn't spoken loud enough, and so she just nodded.

"Great!" cried Rachel. "I'm going to put all your things in here."

Rachel pulled items out of a plastic bag. "Oh, here's one of Mayah's," she said. She kept putting things in the cupboard and saying whose they were. She pulled out a pink cloth skirt with a white flower print on it. "Mayah, remember when you wore this in the cake?" Rachel laughed.

Mayah nodded. She did remember.

Soon, all the fairies' things were in the cupboard. Rachel picked up the plastic bag they'd been in. "Do you want this in here or not?" she asked.

"No, no, no, no, no!" all the fairies jingled.

Rachel moved it closer to the cupboard.

"Translate, Frostie Jewel!" cried Breeze.

Frostie Jewel flew out of her hammock, her tiny wings beating double-time. She flew right up to Rachel's face and screamed, "We don't want it in..." her voice became quieter and Rachel only heard jingles. "Don't..." jingle jingle jingle "reminds us of..." jingle jingle jingle "suitcase..." jingle jingle jingle "didn't like the trip" jingle jingle jingle "put it in the" jingle jingle jingle "not in here!"

Rachel got the gist of it. She now knew the fairies didn't want it in there, and that they hadn't liked the trip. "I'll put it in my lock-drawer," Rachel said.

"Thanks," jingled Frostie Jewel. Then, the very old snowflake fairy flew back to her hammock.

"Okay, I'm going to shut the door," Rachel said. "I think it's really dark."

Rachel shut the door, and the fairies were plunged into darkness. Only their dim glows lit the area around them.

The fairies began talking to each other. Rachel, outside the room, was putting the bag in the lock-drawer. Then she said, "Could you quiet down, please?"

"Sorry," Sophie jingled. They began talking quieter, and Rachel couldn't hear the jingling anymore.

"That's better," Rachel said. She locked her lock-drawer and walked out of her room. "See you fairies later!"

The fairies talked a while longer, then fell asleep. A few hours later, Cassy awoke with a start. She was on the ground, and she didn't know how she'd gotten there! Cassy flew back up to her hammock, but something was odd about it. She tried to lay in it, and fell to the ground again. It was too dim to see what was going on. Another thump sounded, and a fairy cried, "Ouch!"

"Frostie Jewel, is that you?" Cassy asked.

"Yes," Frostie Jewel said. "I think I fell out of my hammock."

Suddenly a bright light shone into their eyes. Rachel had opened the door.

"Cassy! Are you okay?" asked Rachel. "And Frostie Jewel!"

Cassy and Frostie Jewel nodded. Rachel saw that Cassy's hammock had disconnected from the ceiling on one side, so she taped it back up. "I'll get better tape on there soon," promised Rachel.

"Light is what we need," Cassy grumbled.

Rachel picked Cassy up and put her back in the hammock. Cassy smiled. "I hope I don't fall again," she jingled.

"Here you go, Frostie Jewel," Rachel said. She picked the fairy up and put her back in the hammock. "I'll make a bigger one as soon as I get more white cloth."

Rachel shut the cupboard door and smiled. She would have to get duct tape soon, and also a flashlight. But that was okay. She'd do anything to help her fairy friends.

That night, the fairies slept well for the first time in months. Nobody fell out of their hammock, and it was a good night.


	45. A Big Mess

Rachel opened the cupboard door one morning and was surprised by what she saw. Many pictures had fallen down, and every single hammock had fallen down! The fairies were laying on the floor.

"What happened?" cried the little girl.

"The tape didn't hold," jingled Tinkerberry.

"Tinkerberry, why didn't you fix everything?" Rachel asked.

Tinkerberry hung her head. Her wings drooped. "It was too dark to see," she jingled.

Rachel saw that Tinkerberry was sad. "It's ok," comforted Rachel. "The tape wasn't good enough anyways. You would have just had to fix it again and again."

Tinkerberry smiled.

"I have a surprise for some of you," Rachel said.

She walked over to her desk. When she came back, she was holding four fairy-sized beds made from tea boxes!

"Cassy, you can pick yours first," said Rachel.

Cassy flew out of the room, straightening her bent wing. She picked out a bed after a moment's hesitation.

"Cassy, since your hammock is too small, you can use it as a blanket," Rachel said. She pulled out a spare piece of fluffy cloth from the cupboard. "This can go under you."

Cassy laid down on it. It was nice and soft, not like the hard wooden floor she'd been laying on for a few days.

Rachel tore the tape off Cassy's hammock, making the hammock into a blanket. Then she put it on Cassy. "Ahh," sighed Cassy.

"Ok, Sophie, you get to pick a bed," Rachel said.

Sophie smiled. She flew out of the cupboard, blinking in the light. She jingled happily. Sophie chose the yellow bed.

Rachel smiled. "I don't have another blanket, so can you just use your hammock under you?"

Sophie jingled and nodded.

Rachel unwrapped the tape, then put the hammock-turned-blanket under Sophia.

Sophie grinned.

"Shimmer, I know you like sleeping close to your sister, but your hammock is small. Can you pick a bed?" asked Rachel.

Shimmer nodded. "Sure," she jingled.

Rachel smiled. She unwrapped the tape while Shimmer chose a bed. Then she put the blanket in the bed.

"Frostie Jewel, I have something for you," Rachel said. She went to her desk. Then she gasped. "Sophie, Shimmer," she said.

She touched Sophie. "I forgot, I got a foam mattress for you," the girl said. She held up a piece of foam that was about the size of the bed. "Oh, good!" cried Sophie.

Rachel repositioned the bed so that Sophie was laying on top of the foam mattress and under the blanket. Sophie sighed. It was so soft!

"Ok, Shimmer, I have a blanket for you," said Rachel, holding up a gold-colored blanket. Shimmer smiled. Rachel positioned the blankets so Shimmer was on top of one blanket and under the other. Shimmer liked that.

"Frostie Jewel, you can see the surprise," Rachel said. Frostie Jewel's wings quivered as she flew out.

"I got some white cloth that I will make into a hammock for you later," Rachel said. "For now, you get a bed!"

Frostie Jewel jingled excitedly. She pulled her hammock out of the room and gave it to Rachel. Rachel pulled the tape off. Frostie Jewel put the blanket in her bed and laid down on it.

"Are you sure you don't want covers?" Rachel asked. "Oh, wait, you're a winter fairy."

Frostie Jewel nodded.

Rachel called, "Everybody come out!" As fairies put themselves together and flew out, Rachel picked up every hammock and straightened it out.

Breeze was glaring at her dress. "I'm so bored of this," she said. She zipped around the cupboard room and found a twisty-tie and a purple piece of cloth. "Fabulous," she jingled, and took her dress off. Her undershirt and pants were still on. Breeze's powerful wings vibrated as she put the purple cloth around her waist and tied it on with the twist tie.

"Breeze, come out please," Rachel said.

Breeze flew out so fast that she hit her right arm in the door. "Oh well," she jingled.

"My mom is figuring out what tape will hold you up," Rachel said. "In the meantime, you will have to sleep in your hammocks on the floor."

Everyone groaned. Rachel heard jingles. "Ferni," she asked, "can you do some room-decorating?"

"That's the best thing about being an art fairy!" jingled Ferni. "Well, aside from painting. And sculpting. And doing hair. And... everything else about being an art fairy."

Ferni flew into the cupboard and put the hammocks into place on the floor. She called the fairies in and they laid in their hammocks. Then she positioned the beds.

"Perfect," Ferni said. "Well, except for the mess. I wish a helper-talent fairy would clean it."

Ferni laid down, satisfied. Rachel said, "See you later, fairies," and shut the door.


	46. A Productive Afternoon

Tinkerberry was sleeping in her hammock on the floor. Suddenly, Rachel opened the door! Tinkerberry fluttered out of her hammock, excited.

"Today we can put the hammocks up!" Rachel cried. "My dad says we can use his electrical tape, because it isn't too expensive."

Tinkerberry jingled happily. Electrical tape would hold up the hammocks wonderfully. She had a question, though. "What's electrical tape used for normally?" she jingled.

Melon said, "Electricity, probably."

"What's that?" wondered Tinkerberry.

Melon shrugged. "I don't know. Something that the humans use."

"You get to watch the electrical tape so I don't use too much," Rachel stated, oblivious to the conversation.

"Okay, first I have to get the masking tape off the ceiling and the walls," Rachel said. She pulled the tape off and used it to attach the pictures more securely.

Tinkerberry smiled. Rachel unrolled a piece of electrical tape and tried to get it off. "This is hard!" she said, pulling at it. "Tinkerberry, can you help me?"

Tinkerberry nodded and pulled at the tape. It wasn't ripping, only stretching. "I can't do it," the fairy jingled.

Rachel saw the Tinkerberry was struggling. "I was probably supposed to use scissors," Rachel said. "Here, let me get my scissors."

Rachel got her blue scissors and cut the tape. She smiled.

She put Breeze's hammock up first. "Now you can swing!" she said.

"Oh, yeah," jingled Breeze. She flew to her hammock and laid in it, swinging.

Next, Rachel put Dewdrop's hammock up. Dewdrop liked it very much.

The next hammock was Tinkerberry's. Tinkerberry flew up to it and pushed on it, testing its strength. She was satisfied and laid in it. "It's nice and strong," Rachel said, "right?"

Tinkerberry nodded, jingling.

Next was Melon's hammock. Melon loved it. After Melon came Elsie's.

"That looks nice and cool," Rachel stated. The little frost fairy resting in her hammock nodded, jingling.

Moss's was next. Moss scouted from the cupboard while Rachel put the tape on and put the hammock up. Moss flew over and laid in it. "You can see pretty well from your hammock, I hope," Rachel said.

Moss nodded and jingled a response.

"Do you want Shimmer's bed under you?" asked Rachel.

"Oh, yes," Moss jingled, nodding.

Rachel picked up Shimmer's bed. She put it under Moss's hammock.

"Thank you!" jingled Shimmer.

"Next is Cinnamon's hammock," Rachel said. She put the hammock up, and Cinnamon laid in it, sighing.

The next one was Ferni's. Ferni laid down the opposite way, and she could see all the pictures!

"Okay, Frostie Jewel, I'm going to make your hammock now," the child said. "Ferni, want to watch?"

Ferni looked at the sewing scissors, the white cloth, and the masking tape and nodded. She flew out of her hammock and sat on Rachel's leg to watch.

Rachel picked up the scissors. "You might want to keep away, Ferni, for this part. I don't want to accidentally cut one of your wings."

Ferni shuddered and flew backwards, hovering a few feet away.

Rachel cut the cloth. Then she scrunched one side and taped it with the masking tape. She did the same thing on the other side. While she was doing this, she was saying what she was doing.

Ferni sighed and flew back to her hammock. Rachel asked Frostie Jewel if she wanted to be at the top of the wall. Frostie Jewel nodded eagerly, jingling a lot.

Rachel taped one side of the hammock on. The other side hung down onto Cinnamon's face! Cinnamon jingled.

"Sorry, Cinnamon," Rachel apologized. She taped the other side on, and now it wasn't in Cinnamon's face. Frostie Jewel flew to the hammock and laid in it.

"Is it cool enough for you?" asked Rachel.

Frostie Jewel jingled. Then her voice got louder and Rachel heard her say "Oh yes!" The fairy quieted down and her voice went back to jingles.

Rachel smiled. "Now I'll arrange the beds." She picked up Cassy's bed. "I bet you'd like it… here." Rachel put it close to Shimmer's bed. Cassy nodded.

"Okay, now for Sophie's bed." Rachel picked it up. "Where do you want it?" Sophie pointed to a place where light leaked in from the open door. Rachel grinned and put it there. "I thought so."

Then Rachel picked up the empty bed that had been Frostie Jewel's. "I'll put this right here, so if a fairy needs a bed there will be one."

The fairies jingled happily. Now their room was much nicer!

"I have to go," Rachel said. "Bye!" She shut the door. The fairies talked for a little while, then stopped. It had been a productive afternoon.


	47. Mayah's New Dress

Mayah was resting in her bed when she heard the door open. "Mayah!" Rachel called. "I am going to make you a dress!"

Mayah grinned. Although she was not as into fashion as her stylish friend Rosetta, she still loved getting a new dress.

The fairy flew out of the cupboard. She grinned even bigger than usual when she saw the color of the cloth. It was a hot pink. Mayah loved pink.

Rachel measured the cloth. She cut it to size and wrapped it around May. Suddenly she cried, "Hide! Someone's coming!"

Mayah flew to the cupboard, holding her skimpy piece of cloth around herself. Rachel shut the door, plunging Mayah into darkness.

A while later, Rachel came back. She took May out of the cupboard. Mayah fluttered over to the cloth.

Rachel sewed the cloth around Mayah. Mayah looked down and smiled wider. She loved her new dress!

"I'm not done yet," Rachel said. "We need to make the skirt!"

Rachel cut a circle out of the cloth. She pulled it up onto Mayah, and Mayah gasped. It was a beautiful ballet-style skirt!

"I'm going to sew it on," Rachel said. She did so. "Tell me if I prick you."

At one point, the thread got stuck around Mayah's leg. Rachel had to untangle it. "Sorry," she said.

Mayah jingled.

The dress was done! Rachel tied the thread off. Mayah looked down at the dress and spun in the air. It was beautiful!

"Ok, now we need to see if it will come off and on easily," said Rachel.

Mayah pulled the dress off. It came off well. She pulled it back on. It came back on too.

"Perfect," jingled Mayah. She suddenly realized something. If Rachel had been a fairy instead of a human, she would make a good art fairy!

"Okay, Mayah, you can go back to bed," Rachel said. She opened the cupboard door and let Mayah fly in. Mayah twirled in the air before laying in her bed. It was then that Rachel noticed that Ferni and Cinnamon's hammocks had fallen off of one wall. Cinnamon had fallen out of her hammock, too.

Rachel frowned and fixed the hammocks. Cinnamon flew back to hers.

"I was so sure this would work!" Rachel cried.

Tinkerberry flew out of her hammock. "Rachel, it's okay. If there is one thing all tinkers know, it's never to give up. You shouldn't give up."

Rachel said, "You must be saying something important. What could it be?"

Tinkerberry looked at Rachel. Her face was strangely shiny.

"Are you saying don't give up?" asked Rachel.

Tinkerberry nodded, jingling quickly. She flew up to Rachel's forehead and gave it a kiss. Rachel kissed Tinkerberry on the top of the head. Rachel had figured out what Tinkerberry was trying to tell her!

Rachel grinned. She absentmindedly scratched Tinkerberry's face. A layer of skin peeled off.

"Yikes!" jingled Tinkerberry.

Seeing Tinkerberry's distressed face, Rachel smiled. "Oh, you have a sunburn! Don't worry, your face will just peel. Then it will be done."

"Don't worry, I've had a sunburn before," Rachel said. "It hurts, but it is only temporary."

Tinkerberry nodded and flew back to her hammock.


	48. Back to Never Land

Cassy was sitting in her bed. She felt homesick. She wanted to go back to Pixie Hollow! She tentatively pushed on the cupboard door. It opened with a creak!

Cassy fluttered around Rachel's room. Rachel was laying in her hammock, messing around on an electronic. She didn't see Cassy.

Just then, Rachel got up. She opened the door to her room. Cassy fluttered out. Rachel closed the door again.

Cassy flew to the front door first. She'd never explored Rachel's new house before. The front door was metal and locked. Cassy frowned. She couldn't go out that way.

Cassy flew up the stairs. She noticed with delight that along the side, there were miniature stairs that were the perfect size for a fairy! _How clever,_ she thought.

The animal fairy flew around the second floor. Directly above the stairs, there was another set of stairs leading to the next floor. Cassy flew up them. She grinned. Rachel's family had a rooftop terrace! She was about to fly over the edge when she stopped short. It was raining.

Cassy's wings drooped. There was a plastic roof covering part of the terrace, and she wouldn't get wet if she stayed under it. Cassy looked up to the sky. Where was the Second Star? Rainclouds were covering it.

Cassy flittered around. Then she saw a plastic bag. She picked it up and put it over herself. She couldn't see where she was going, but she could fly without getting wet.

The fairy blindly flew over the edge. She went higher and higher into the sky. When she couldn't feel rain beating on the plastic bag anymore, she pulled it off. There she saw a glorious sight. She had flown above the rainclouds! Below her were gray clouds. Above her was the sun and a few stars. Cassy grinned. She could see the Second Star!

Cassy flew towards the Second Star. Soon, she saw Never Land! She fluttered down until she could see Pixie Hollow. Then she landed in Tinker's Nook.

An art fairy named Mariana greeted her. "Carrie! Where have you been?"

Carrie grinned. "It's good to see you! I have been with Rachel. She just moved."

"Ah," Mariana said. "Would you like me to make a dress for you?"

"Sure," Cassy said. "Can you make an orange bubble skirt for me?"

Mariana nodded. "You'll have to gather the materials for me. I have been busy."

Cassy smiled. "What do you need?"

"Some orange leaves and some spider silk," Mariana replied.

Cassy grinned. She saw some spider silk laying on the ground, and she had an orange leaf from the last time she'd been in the Autumn Forest. "Here you go, Mariana," she said.

"Thanks, Carrie," said Mariana.

Cassy smiled. "Fly with you later," she said.

Mariana waved her goodbye.

Cassy flew away. She fluttered around Pixie Hollow, saying hello to all her friends. Then she went back to Mariana.

"Your skirt is done," Mariana said, giving the bubble skirt to Cassy.

"Oh, lovely," Cassy exclaimed. She took the skirt and flew to the Autumn Forest. She found her house and went in, changing into her new skirt. She also put on a different top and different shoes.

When Cassy flew out of her house, she was greeted by Fawn and Nollie. "Where have you been?" they asked.

Cassy explained that she hadn't been back for a while because Rachel's family had been moving.

"Carrie," Nollie asked, "will you help me? A mama pill bug lost her babies, and she's having trouble finding them."

Cassy grinned, excited to practice her talent. She hadn't been around animals very much since she and the other fairies had moved into the cupboard. "Of course!"

"You're the best," Nollie said. She led her friend to the pill bug. It was distressed. It made noises to her.

"Don't panic," Cassy said. "Look! There are your babies now!"

The pill bug made a happy noise and ran to its babies. The babies followed it home.

Cassy smiled. She loved when animal families were reunited.

Just then, Cassy felt her wings falter. She was almost out of pixie dust!

"Nollie, I need to go to the depot," Cassy said. "Fly with you later!"

"Fly with you later," echoed Nollie.

Cassy fluttered to the depot, trying not to fall out of the sky. She got there successfully. Fairy Gary was outside.

"Can I have some dust?" asked Cassy.

"Pixie dust, I assume," Fairy Gary replied. "One cup!" He flew into the depot and brought a cup of pixie dust out. Then he poured it on Cassy's head. Cassy fluttered her wings and flew into the air. "Thank you!"

Cassy remembered her friends. They were probably about out of dust too. She flew into the depot, where a dust-keeper named Pewter was hovering.

"Can I have some bags of dust for my friends?" asked Cassy.

"Which friends?" asked Pewter.

"May, Melon, Trinity, Sophie, Dewdrop, Breeze, Elsie, Shimmer, Moss, Cinnamon, Ferni, and Frostie Jewel," replied Cassy.

"Okay, then," Pewter said, "the fairies living on the mainland."

Cassy nodded. As Terence, another dust-keeper, got some pixie dust for Cassy to take, Pewter said, "Which do you think burns more calories, flying or walking?"

"I don't know," Cassy replied. "Why are you so worried about that, anyways?"

"I've been wanting to know for a few years now," Pewter replied.

"Okay," Cassy said.

"Twelve bags of pixie dust coming up," called Terence. He gave them all to Cassy. "Tell Shimmer to make them last," Terence said to Cassy.

"Okay, I will," Carrie said.

Cassy flew out of the depot with the bags of dust. Then she flew over to Nollie again.

"Cassy, can you help me teach these chipmunks to dance?" asked Nollie.

"Why?" asked Cassy, confused.

"I want them to know how for the next big event," replied Nollie. "It's October, you know."

Cassy nodded.

"Isn't there a big holiday in October on the mainland?" asked Nollie curiously.

Cassy nodded. "I don't remember what it's called. I was probably in Rachel's house the last time it happened."

Nollie nodded, and together the animal fairies taught the chipmunks to dance.

The little blonde animal fairy had a good time with her friends in Pixie Hollow. Soon, it started to get dark.

"Fawn," Cassy said, "it's getting dark. I should go back to Rachel's house."

"Couldn't you stay here overnight?" asked Fawn.

Cassy shook her head. "I really should be getting back. My friends will probably miss me."

Fawn frowned. "Okay…"

Cassy gave Fawn and Nollie both a big hug. "Fly with you later!" she called. She flew into her house and changed back into her dress. Then she remembered that it was probably still raining on the mainland. She fluttered over to the theater and grabbed a big leaf off a tree. She held it like an umbrella. It wasn't a great invention, but it would do.

Cassy flew up into the clouds. They were white and fluffy over Never Land, but a few minutes more of flying and the clouds were grey and stormy. As she flew, the sun went below the clouds. It got dark. Soon she could see every star in the sky. The moon rose.

Taking a deep breath, Cassy fluttered below the clouds. She held her leaf umbrella above her and looked down. This was not where she was supposed to be, she realized. She had made her way to Rachel's old house!

Cassy flew up again into the clouds. She tried to picture a map in her brain. It was no use. She hadn't looked at Rachel's family's world map very much.

Next, Cassy sniffed the air. Since she was an animal fairy, she had a good sense of smell. But all she could smell was rain.

An airplane flew by. Cassy flew up next to it. There was a little girl sitting by one window. Cassy smiled and knocked on the window. The girl turned her head to look. "Mom, a fairy!"

Her mother, who was sitting next to her, laughed. Cassy quickly ducked down as the girl's mom turned to look out the window. "Honey, there's no fairy out there," she said.

The girl frowned. Cassy peeked into the window. The girl's mother wasn't looking anymore. Cassy fluttered out of hiding.

The girl smiled. "Hi, fairy," she whispered.

Cassy winked. Then she flew away from the plane. Even if she didn't know the way home now, she could make children smile. Prilla was much better with children than Cassy, but it seemed that if a child saw any fairy, they would be happy.

Cassy ducked below the clouds again. She saw a street far below. Houses were all along it. With delight, Cassy saw Rachel's house! She flew closer and saw that the door to the rooftop was still open. Cassy flew down and landed on the rooftop. She walked under the covering and dropped her leaf umbrella. Then she walked to the door. She flew in and landed on a beam. She pulled out the bags of pixie dust. They weren't wet. Cassy put them back and flew down the stairs. Rachel was walking to her room. She opened the door, and Cassy flew in.

Cassy flew to the cupboard door. She pulled on the handle with all her strength. The door swung open. Cassy flew in and grabbed the side of the door. She pulled it almost shut, then took her fingers off the door. The door slammed shut. Cassy hoped Rachel hadn't noticed.

"Hi, guys!" Cassy said.

There was a chorus of jingling from inside the cupboard that Rachel didn't notice. It was all the fairies saying hello.

Cassy smiled. "Shimmer, Terence gave me some pixie dust for all of you," she said. "He said to make it last."

Shimmer flew over to Cassy. "I'll take it," she said. The little dust-keeper took the bags of pixie dust and put them in the corner.

Cassy smiled and flew to her bed. It had been a delightful day, but now she was tired. The little animal fairy fell asleep quickly.


	49. Two Surprises

The fairies were laying on the floor. Their hammocks had collapsed once again. Cassy grumbled. Tinkerberry's foot was in her face. Suddenly, there was a light.

"Light!" cried Sophie.

"Rachel!" Mayah cried.

"Hi, fairies!" Rachel said. "Oh, your hammocks broke again! I'll have to get some duct tape. Even if it ruins the wood, you guys are more important."

"Aww," Tinkerberry said.

Rachel put all the hammocks back up. "They probably fell because I was moving the dresser around," she said.

The fairies flew back to their hammocks. Rachel asked Tinkerberry, "How are you?"

The little tinker flew out of her bed. "I'm good," she jingled.

"Oh, you still have a sunburn," Rachel said. "Don't worry, I'm sure it will go away."

"I don't think fairies get sunburned," Tinkerberry jingled. Suddenly she remembered Elwood telling her that the Summer Sun gave him a sunburn sometimes.

"I have a surprise for you," Rachel said.

The fairies sat up in their hammocks. Heads swiveled. Tinkerberry and Dewdrop flew to the floor and sat next to each other.

"Who is it for?" Sophia asked.

"It is really nice. I think you all will like it," said Rachel.

Sophie sighed.

"Actually, there are two surprises," Rachel said. "The first one is for all of you."

Rachel stood up and walked to her desk. The fairies waited. Rachel blew the dust off of her surprise.

"It's a nice little dresser!" Rachel said when she had come back.

"That is not a dresser, it's a shelf," commented Tinkerberry. "I've made both before. But it is very pretty."

"I'll put it here, and clean up these things," Rachel said, pushing the things out of the way. Then she put the shelf at the back of the room.

Cinnamon sighed. "If only there was a helper-talent fairy around here..."

Mayah fluttered out of her bed. She jingled excitedly and pointed to the middle shelf. Then she flew back to bed.

"There are more garden fairies that live here than any other talent," Ferni said, "but I think you should get the top shelf."

Mayah's wings drooped, but she didn't complain. The shelf's biggest space was the middle. Mayah liked this pink shelf.

Ferni flew out of her hammock. "I am decorating," she declared. "Decorating might be my favorite task of all the art fairy tasks."

First, Fern put all of Mayah's and Melon's clothes in the top shelf. Then she looked around, deciding.

"This rose can go here," said Rachel, putting the big fake red rose to the right of the shelf, "and this flower can go here." She put the smaller fake pink flower to the left of the shelf.

"You could be an art talent," said Ferni, liking the way it looked.

"Silly," Mayah laughed, "humans don't have talents."

"Then what do they do when they are born?" wondered Ferni.

Mayah shrugged.

"You are artistic, at the least," Ferni said to Rachel.

The conversation was lost to Rachel, for she obviously couldn't understand them.

Ferni got back to work. She decided that Sophie's clothes would go in the middle. She also put the extra flowers of Sophie's there too. At the bottom, she decided that Dewdrop's items would go. Tinkerberry flew up to let Ferni get Dewdrop's shoes and purse. The art fairy put the items at the bottom. Soon, all she needed was Dewdrop's dress.

"Dewdrop, where is your dress?" asked Ferni.

The water fairy shrugged.

Ferni searched, but didn't find it.

Rachel had been watching closely. "Are you looking for Dewdrop's dress?" she asked.

Ferni nodded.

"It would help if we had light," mused the girl.

Sophie cast a look at Rachel.

"I know, I should get a flashlight for you all," she said. "I just don't have money."

Sophie wondered about money. It seemed in the human world, if you had money you could get items. What was so important about this stuff? It was just paper with a man painted on it.

The little girl had been looking for the dress. She wondered if it was in her suitcase. She pulled it out and looked for it as Ferni put Moss's clothes and spear in the shelf.

"I can't find it," Rachel said. "Maybe we left it at the Farm?"

Dewdrop wondered. It could be.

"Oh, well," Dewdrop said.

"Wait," said Rachel. "Have you been to Never Land lately, Dewdrop?"

Dewdrop shook her head.

"Oh," said Rachel. "Maybe you left it there?"

Dewdrop shook her head. She had worn her dress since the last time she'd been to Never Land.

"Mayah, can I put your leaf-book on the top of the shelf?" Ferni asked.

Mayah nodded.

Ferni put it on there. She put the finishing touches on the shelf, then stepped back.

"What about the rest of the stuff?" Breeze asked.

"We will just have to leave it on the floor," sighed Ferni.

"We really need a helper-talent fairy to live here," Cinnamon commented.

"All done?" asked Rachel. "That looks amazing!"

Ferni smiled proudly. Then she flew back to her hammock.

"Now for the second surprise," Rachel said. She got something from her desk. "Cinnamon, this is for you," she said.

"Oooh!" cried Cinnamon. It was a large container about as tall as her waist. The top was pretty.

She looked at the bottom part. There were words written on it.

"Finger paint," she read. "Finger paint? What use do I have for this?"

Rachel looked blankly at her.

Cinnamon picked up the container and flew to Rachel's face. She pointed her finger at each letter. "F-I-N-G-E-R P-A-I-N-T. Finger paint! Why is this for me? It should be for..."

Cinnamon flew over to Ferni. Still pointing to the words, she jingled. Rachel's face lit up in understanding. "Paint!"

She laughed. "It used to have paint in it, but I cleaned it out. Now, it's an airtight container that you can store..."

Cinnamon flew back to Rachel.

"...food in!" finished Rachel.

Cinnamon jingled happily. "Food! For food! Yes!"

"Can you unscrew the lid?" asked Rachel.

Cinnamon put her hands around the lid and spun in tight circles. The lid popped off.

Rachel grinned. "I have one more surprise for Cassy, but it will have to wait. The surprise isn't home."

Cassy looked at her quizzically, but Rachel told no more.

The kitchen fairy noticed some condensation on the inside of the container. She asked Tinkerberry if she could use the tinker's shawl. Tinkerberry nodded, and Cinnamon cleaned the condensation off. Then she shut the container and put it below her hammock. The little fairy sat on top of the container.

"Oh, one more thing," Rachel said. "I really want a plant from Never Land. Could you maybe go to Never Land and get a plant for me?"

The fairies talked amongst themselves. Cinnamon flew over to Rachel and nodded. "We will all go to Never Land and find a plant." They shook hands.

The fairy went back to the container. "See you next time," Rachel said. They said their see you laters, and then Rachel shut the door.


	50. Cassy's Surprise

Cassy was asleep in her bed. Just then, the door opened, and a soft voice said, "Surprise, Cassy!"

The little fairy flew out of the cupboard. She immediately saw an adorable puppy with wet fur!

The puppy had brown and white fur. Its ears were folded over. It had adorable brown eyes.

Cassy squealed with delight. "Aww, she is adorable!"

The fairy fluttered around to the puppy's nose. "What's your name?"

"My name is Bailey!" the puppy barked. "Sometimes they call me a longer name too, but my name is Bailey!"

"How old are you?" asked Cassy.

"Four months, four months!" Bailey barked.

"Why are you wet?" wondered Cassy.

"Rachel and her daddy, they did it," Bailey barked. "They filled my green bathtub with water and put me in it! It was warm! But I don't like it very much! Then they put soap on me! Then they washed it off! Then they put a towel on me! I don't like it! But then Rachel gave me a treat, so it was good!"

"Oh, you had a bath!" Cassy said. "I don't like baths either."

"Really? Really?" Bailey yipped. "Why?"

"It makes my wings get wet," the fairy explained.

All while they were talking, Bailey was running around the room and jumping up onto Rachel's bed. She wasn't quite tall enough to get all the way up there, so Rachel would have to help her.

"I want up, up, up, on the bed!" Bailey barked.

Rachel didn't know what Bailey was saying, but the puppy's body language told her what the puppy wanted.

"I'm sorry, Bailey, but I can't let you go on the bed. You're too wet!" Rachel said.

Bailey whimpered.

"Oh, okay," Rachel said. She picked the dog up by the armpits and put her on the bed.

Bailey shook herself. Then she began licking herself.

"Big bug, what is your name?" asked the puppy.

"What bug?" asked Cassy.

"You bug!" Bailey barked.

"I'm not a bug, I'm a fairy!" Cassy laughed. "My name is Cassy."

"Cassy! Fairy!" Bailey barked. "I like bugs. They are fun to bite and chase! But once I bit a black bug and it hurt me in the mouth. Then my lips got big and they hurt!"

"Aww, it sounds like you got stung by a wasp," Cassy said.

"How long have you lived here?" asked Cassy.

"Two, two months!" Bailey barked. "I used to live in a different place. Lots of dogs!"

"Two months," Cassy mused. "How did I not find out about you earlier?"

"I don't know," Bailey said. "I am getting a doghouse!" The puppy began licking her paws. Cassy petted them.

"A doghouse?" asked Cassy. "Who is building it?"

Suddenly, a knock sounded on the front door. Bailey heard it.

"Someone's coming! Maybe they want to play!" Bailey barked. She jumped off the bed and scratched at Rachel's door.

Rachel opened the room door and let Bailey out, then opened the cupboard door.

"Bye, Bailey! See you soon!" Cassy cried. Then she flew back into the fairies' house.


	51. Rain, Rain

Dewdrop sat by Tinkerberry, talking. Suddenly the door opened. Rachel grabbed the water fairy and said, "Dewdrop, come here."

The fairy was put into a black purse. She was terrified, because a sleeping puppy lay right next to the purse.

The zipper zipped shut. The fairy looked around. There was a water bottle, some pens, and a few tissues in the bag.

Dewdrop waited for a while. The purse jostled around a bit. Then it was unzipped.

"Dewdrop, come out," Rachel said.

Dewdrop fluttered out. They were on a rock. She was very happy to see that it was the same rock with the rock pool! She jingled softly.

"It's safe, Dewdrop," Rachel said. "You can speak louder."

The fairy smiled. She took her baggy blue shirt off, revealing her rose swimsuit. Dewdrop was still wearing her blue flower skirt. She walked out onto the water, her wings fluttering to hold her up. Then she performed a lovely water ballet. She danced across the rock pool delicately. After she was done, she stepped back onto dry land.

Rachel clapped softly as the fairy sat down. "Dewdrop, that was beautiful!"

Dewdrop jingled.

"Should we go to another rock pool?" asked Rachel.

Dewdrop nodded.

The fairy flew ahead as Rachel jumped off the rock. Then Dewdrop heard a sound. It was the sound of running water! It was coming out of a funny rock with holes in the top.

Dewdrop flew to it and looked into a hole. It was dark, but she still saw water running. She reached her hand in.

Rachel walked over to her. "Dewdrop, be careful," she said. "There is water moving fast in there, and it's a long way down."

Dewdrop frowned and pulled herself away. She landed in Rachel's hand and let herself be carried higher up the hill.

They arrived at a rock. Dewdrop smiled. This was the best pool.

"You fly up onto the rock while I climb," Rachel said.

Dewdrop flew out of Rachel's hand and landed perfectly in the rock pool. Rachel was climbing the rock. The human reached the top and smiled.

"Oh, Dewdrop, you're all wet!" Rachel laughed.

Dewdrop grinned and jingled. She tried to get out of the rock pool, but the side was steep and she slipped into the pool again. Laughing, she let Rachel pull her out.

The friends played for a while. It began to rain. Dewdrop was happy. But Rachel wasn't.

"Rachel!"

The little girl frowned. It was her mom.

"Dewdrop, it's starting to rain," Rachel said. "We have to go."

Dewdrop frowned. She was having so much fun.

"I'm sorry, but my mom's calling," Rachel said. "Here, I'll wrap you in this." She pulled out a tissue and wrapped up the fairy. Then she put Dewdrop into the purse.

Dewdrop was sad. She loved the rain! But she had to stay out of it.

The bag jostled around while Rachel was climbing down the rock and running to a building. Then it was still. Dewdrop fell asleep in a little bit.

The water fairy was awoken by the bag being jostled again. Rachel must have been walking. The rhythm to the walk lulled Dewdrop back to sleep. She woke up when the bag unzipped. "Dewdrop, we're home!" Rachel said.

Dewdrop was pulled out of the bag. She saw that she was in Rachel's room. Her still-wet wings drooped and she drooped her head sadly. She let out a few sad jingles.

"I'm sorry, Dewdrop," Rachel said. "We can go another day."

The child opened the cupboard door and put the water fairy in. Then she shut the door, plunging the fairies back into the darkness.


	52. A Flashlight

It was July of 2018, and the fairies were laying in their cupboard. They hadn't seen Rachel for almost a year. Their cupboard was still as dark as ever, and they were sure that everything had fallen down.

They had gone to Pixie Hollow many times, but they hadn't seen Rachel. Mayah was beginning to wonder if Rachel had forgotten about them.

Suddenly, the door to the cupboard opened. "Fairies!" said a voice.

The fairies jingled excitedly. It was Rachel!

She looked a bit older than the last time they saw her. She smiled and took Mayah out. "Oh, girls, I am so sorry I haven't talked to you for so long! I've just been so busy!" She looked at Mayah. "Oh, I forgot I made this dress for you," she said. "You look so pretty!"

"Thank you," jingled Mayah.

Then, Rachel looked into the cupboard. It was a sorry sight. All the hammocks had fallen down. So had all but one of the pictures. There was a huge spiderweb taking over the room. In the middle sat a spider.

"Spider!" cried the girl. "Cassy, can you tell it to leave?"

Cassy smiled to see the human girl at last. She flew over to the spider. "Please leave," she told it. "This is our house, not yours."

The spider was unhappy. "I don't want to leave, I've been living here for the past few months," it told Cassy. "This is my home too."

Cassy frowned. "Okay, but you've been warned. There is a human that doesn't like spiders, and she will probably remove you."

"What did the spider say?" asked Rachel.

Cassy jingled, then remembered that Rachel couldn't understand her.

Rachel said, "I'd better get a light to see that spider better," Rachel said. Then she grinned. She walked over to her bed. When she came back, she was hiding something behind her back.

"Sophie, I have a surprise for you!" she said.

Sophie was wide awake. She flew out of her bed to Rachel's face.

Rachel pulled a red flashlight from behind her back. "I finally got it! Sorry for making you wait for so long."

Sophia grinned. "Finally! Thank you, Rachel!"

The other fairies jingled. They were happy to finally have a light.

Sophie flew over to the switch on the light. "Can you push it?" asked Rachel.

Sophie tried. She pushed the switch, and with a click, the light turned on. Sophie was ecstatic and fluttered around happily in the beam of light.

"Can you turn it off?" asked Rachel.

Sophie flew over and pushed the switch back. It shut off. Sophie quickly turned it on again.

Rachel set the flashlight inside of the cupboard and asked Sophie to bend the light to the spider. She did so happily. It was then that Rachel noticed the seriousness of the mess in the cupboard.

"Oh, man, we have to clean again," Rachel said. She grabbed a stick to remove the spiderwebs, but then the spider moved, scaring Rachel.

"Aah! Mom, there's a spider in the cupboard!" she screamed, running out of the room.

The spider hid behind the fallen-down pictures as Rachel got her mom.

Rachel's mom entered the room. She looked in the cupboard. The fairies were quiet as Rachel's mom, wearing yellow rubber gloves, looked for the spider.

"I don't see it, Rachel," her mom said. "You'll have to take everything out. Use these gloves." She gave the yellow gloves to Rachel.

The gloves were a bit big on her, but they worked. Rachel's mom went out, and Rachel began taking things out. She dusted off the beds. "I wish there was a helper-talent fairy who lived here," she said as she pulled out all of the stuff. "But we have to do it alone."

The fairies dusted themselves off and flew out of the little room one by one.

"I hope that spider isn't still in there," Melon said. She shuddered. "I hate to find out there has been a spider living with us for this whole time."

"Yeah, and maybe crawling on us," Elsie put in, "while we were sleeping."

Breeze's wings twitched. "I hate spiders," she proclaimed.

"It's too dark in here," Rachel said.

Rachel pulled out the pictures that had fallen down. Then, she saw the spider.

"Cassy, look away," Rachel said, grabbing a piece of toiletpaper with her gloved hand. Cassy squeezed her eyes shut as Rachel smashed the spider. Cassy heard a spider's scream as it was squished.

Cassy shuddered.

"I'm sorry, Cassy, but it was the only way I could get it away," Rachel said. She walked out of her room. She came back in without the squashed spider a few moments later. She also wasn't wearing the rubber gloves anymore.

"Alright, now we need to take all the hammocks out," Rachel said.

She pulled all the hammocks out of the room. Soon, there was nothing left in the room except for tape stuck to the walls and ceiling, and the one picture that hadn't fallen.

"Tinkerberry, can you take all the good tape off the pictures?" asked Rachel. Tinkerberry took all the electrical tape off the pictures. Some of the pictures tore a bit.

Rachel pulled the masking tape off the pictures. Then she said, "You know what, I don't think these pictures are going to work. We're going to have to throw them away."

"No, don't do that!" cried Tinkerberry.

"Don't worry, I can make some more," Rachel said, catching Tinkerberry's distress. "But for now, one picture will work fine."

Tinkerberry drooped her wings.

Rachel then pulled all the tape off the walls and ceiling of the cupboard. There was a huge pile of tape now on the floor outside of the cupboard.

Then, Rachel began the hardest part, unrolling the masking tape from the hammocks. It was mostly silent as she worked. A few times, Rachel wondered why she had thought this was a good idea.

Suddenly, from outside of Rachel's room, the fairies heard a deep bark. Tinkerberry was afraid, and began jingling frantically.

"Don't worry, it's just my dog, Bailey," Rachel said.

Cassy was surprised. The last time she had seen Bailey, Bailey was just a tiny puppy. _How big was she now?_ Cassy wondered.

Finally, Rachel was done with the hammocks.

"Now we are ready to redecorate!" Rachel proclaimed.

She took Sophie's bed and placed it in the corner. Sophie flew over to rest on it. Rachel put the other beds in each corner. Then, she was ready to put the pink shelf in.

Everything had fallen out, so Rachel piled it back in and set it up. But everything fell out again.

"Ferni, could you help me put everything back in?" asked Rachel.

Ferni flew over to it and put everything back in. But when Rachel put the fake flowers on top, everything fell out again.

"Oh, well," Rachel said.

She folded the cloth from the hammocks into squares, then laid them on the ground. The fairies flew over to theirs and laid down.

The flashlight was at the front of the cupboard. "You guys can turn on the light whenever you want a little light," Rachel said.

The fairies jingled contentedly. Then, Rachel heard her mom calling her for supper. "I'll see you girls soon!" she said, closing the door.

It was dark again, but the fairies knew if they wanted light, all they had to do was turn on the flashlight.


	53. Tinkerberry's Fort

Tinkerberry and the other fairies were in the cupboard, resting. Just then, Rachel opened the door!

"Hey, Tinkerberry! We're going to go to the Farm today!" she said. She pulled Tinkerberry out.

"I'm going to put you in my pocket so nobody sees you," said Rachel.

Tinkerberry sighed. Rachel put her in the pocket and patted it. "Stay safe," she said.

Tinkerberry felt Rachel walking. She stayed silent for a long while. Then Rachel pulled her out.

"It's safe," said Rachel.

Tinkerberry jingled merrily as she flew around, happy to be in the sunlight. Then she sat on Rachel's hand as Rachel walked.

"So, I was thinking, you could build a fairy camp for you and the other fairies, just something for you girls so you wouldn't have to live in the cupboard all the time," Rachel said.

Tinkerberry beamed. "That would be a great idea!" she jingled.

Rachel had reached a rock that was right next to a fence. A spiderweb was across the opening.

"Oh, dear, we'll have to go the other way," said Rachel. She walked around the rock. "Tinkerberry, you'll have to sit here while I climb over."

Tinkerberry flew over to the spot and sat down. Rachel climbed over the rock, then held out her hand for Tinkerberry to land on.

Rachel walked down a little hill to another big rock. There was a door made out of bamboo that was open. The girl walked in.

"This is where a fort used to be," Rachel said.

It was a nice little place, though full of spiderwebs. The rock formed a wall of the fort, and the other wall was a chain-link fence. The back wall was made of concrete. Over top, there was a roof made of plastic. Part of it was on top of the rock, and it went across to the fence.

Tinkerberry flew around, examining the fort. She then flew back to Rachel.

"There's another place we can look," said Rachel, "if this doesn't seem like a good place."

Tinkerberry smiled. Rachel took her up to some other rocks. Tinkerberry looked, but she didn't see anywhere to build anything.

Tinkerberry flew back to Rachel. "This doesn't look like a good place," said the fairy while shaking her head.

"No?" Rachel said, seeing the fairy shake her head. "Well, too many people come around here anyways."

The two friends went down to the fort. Tinkerberry fluttered around and sat down on a small mossy stone. She smiled.

"This would make a good chair, wouldn't it?" asked Rachel, who had been watching.

Tinkerberry nodded. Then she flew to the fence.

"Please don't go out there," said Rachel. "It isn't safe."

Tinkerberry nodded absentmindedly. She fluttered over to a little ledge in the rock. She looked around. There weren't any spiderwebs, so she decided it would make a great place for a bed!

Tinkerberry flew over to Rachel, jingling. But Rachel didn't understand, so she grabbed a stick.

"Stick..." Rachel said.

Tinkerberry wrote an L in the ground.

"L," said Rachel.

Tinkerberry wrote an E next to the L.

"E..." Rachel said.

The fairy wrote an A next to the E.

"A..." said Rachel.

Tinkerberry wrote an F next to the A.

"F," Rachel said. "L-E-A-F. Leaf! You need a leaf!"

Tinkerberry nodded happily.

Rachel and Tinkerberry went out of the fort. Tinkerberry looked around, then picked up a fuzzy leaf. She flew back into the fort and put it on the spot she'd picked out. Then she laid down on it.

"Oh, is that where you're going to make your bed?" asked Rachel.

Tinkerberry nodded. She flew out of the fort again, and Rachel followed. The small tinker fluttered down to the ground and looked for a leaf. She felt each leaf that she saw. This one was too rough, and this one was too thin. She picked up another fuzzy leaf and nodded once. Then she flew back into the fort. She laid down on the bed she'd made and put the leaf over her as a cover.

Rachel smiled.

Tinkerberry flew to the floor of the fort. There was a brick and a bamboo log sitting on the floor, and Tinkerberry looked inside the bamboo log.

"What's in there?" wondered Rachel.

"Lots of spiderwebs," Tinkerberry jingled.

Rachel said, "I hope it's good, whatever it is." She bent down to look. "Just spiderwebs," she said.

Tinkerberry looked inside the brick. There were six holes in it, and each one might make a good bed for a fairy.

Then, the tinker fairy picked a stick up from the ground. The gears turned in her mind as she placed sticks around her bed to keep her from rolling off. It soon looked very pretty.

Rachel said, "I'm going to go out of here for a little bit. Can you stay here?"

Tinkerberry nodded. Rachel walked out of the fort. After she had rounded the corner, she called, "Tinkerberry, you okay?"

She heard a faint jingle. "I hope she is," Rachel said.

Tinkerberry flew around the fort, looking for nice places for each of her friends. She was soon tired of flying around and went back to her bed. She slept for a few minutes, then sat up.

Rachel walked to the rock next to the fence. She took a stick and got rid of the spiderweb, then went into the fort. Tinkerberry was right there.

"Hi, Trinity!" Rachel called. "Where do you want to make the camp for you and your friends?"

Tinkerberry flew to the log. She jingled.

"There?" asked Rachel.

Tinkerberry flew to the brick and pointed to it. Then she flew to her bed, then to the concrete wall where the mossy rock was.

"You want to make the camp in the whole fort?" asked Rachel.

Tinkerberry nodded.

Rachel looked around, taking in the whole fort. Yes, this was a great place for all the fairies!

Tinkerberry flew out to a bamboo log in a tree. She flew up and looked into it. It was empty.

"What's in there?" wondered Rachel. She hopped until she saw it. "Oh, just empty. Maybe one of your friends would like a bed in there," she said.

Tinkerberry jingled and flew to the top of the rock. Rachel climbed up. Tinkerberry looked through a little hole in the roof to the fort below. She flew down through the hole. Rachel climbed down the rock and went in the fort. "Tinkerberry?"

Tinkerberry flew up to Rachel. The fairy had been sitting on the ground. Then she flew over to the chain-link fence.

"Why is it dangerous out there?" she asked.

There was a gate, and Tinkerberry pointed to it.

"Yep, that padlock is locked," observed Rachel.

Tinkerberry shook her head. She pointed outside of the gate. It was beautiful out there, with a small waterfall falling into a pond. There was lots of grass and plants growing.

"Yes, it is beautiful," sighed Rachel. "But we shouldn't go out there. Out there, anyone can go and find you, but in here, almost nobody comes."

Tinkerberry nodded.

"Besides, that pond is pretty deep," Rachel said. "I wouldn't want one of you fairies to drown."

Tinkerberry shivered. Drowning was every fairy's fear.

Rachel walked away from the fence, but Tinkerberry looked a little longer. Suddenly, a fairy peeked out from behind the grass outside of the fence. Tinkerberry waved, and the fairy waved back. Tinkerberry realized that the fairy camp must be located there! She decided that she would go out there sometime and see the camp. Rachel couldn't tell her what to do, anyway.

Rachel held out her hand for Tinkerberry. The fairy flew over and sat down. Then she looked over at the small mossy stone. She sat down on it and brought some sticks over. Then, she got a great idea. She laid down on the stone. It would make a perfect bed for one of her friends!

Tinkerberry laid the sticks next to the stone. She began to get excited. "I just need some more sticks, and some leaves!" she said. "I could make a canopy over this bed, and it would be great!"

Tinkerberry was fluttering all around the stone, making hand motions of what she was going to do. Rachel laughed. "I'm sure you have a great idea!" Then she frowned. "But it's getting late. We'll have to come back tomorrow, or maybe the next day."

Tinkerberry frowned and flew over to Rachel, but then she brightened up. She could tell her friends about the fort!

Rachel put the fairy in her pocket and began to walk. Tinkerberry was in there for a while. Then, Rachel opened her pocket. "It's safe," she whispered. Tinkerberry flew out of the pocket. She was back in Rachel's room. Rachel opened the cupboard. Tinkerberry flew in, and Rachel shut the door. Tinkerberry turned on the flashlight and told her friends all what had happened.


	54. Staying Overnight

The fairies were laying in their beds in the cupboard. Sophie had turned the flashlight off a few minutes ago so the fairies could take a nap.

Suddenly, light streaked in. The fairies looked at the open door. Rachel's giant face was right there!

"Tinkerberry, Mayah, Melon," whispered the human girl. "We're going to go to the Farm today."

Rachel picked the three up. She put Mayah and Melon in one pocket and Tinkerberry in the other. The fairies sat there for a while. They could feel Rachel walking.

A while later, Rachel pulled Tinkerberry out of her pocket. Tinkerberry smiled. They were at the fort!

Rachel pulled Mayah and Melon out too. Tinkerberry led the way into the fort.

"Wow, this is a great place!" Mayah said.

Melon grinned and flew over to a leaf, growing it.

Tinkerberry flew to her bed. The cover had shrunk and was too small, so Tinkerberry pushed it off. The sticks had also fallen over, so Tinkerberry put them back up. Then, the tinker fairy sat on her bed. Melon flew down to sit next to her. Mayah stood by them.

"Aw, poor Mayah," said Rachel. "I'm so sorry about your leg! I really didn't mean to."

"I know," Mayah jingled. "It's okay, I'm used to it."

Rachel said, "Oh yes, please don't go through that fence." She pointed to the chain-link fence.

"Don't listen to her," Tinkerberry said. "There's a fairy camp out there."

Tinkerberry was jingling to the garden fairies when Rachel said, "Oh, Tinkerberry, where did your cover go?"

"It shrunk, so I got rid of it," jingled Tinkerberry.

"Oh, well, you can get a new one, wherever it went," Rachel said. She hadn't understood the fairy.

Tinkerberry wasn't too upset about the girl not understanding her. She flew out of the fort with Rachel following.

Suddenly, Rachel said, "Tinkerberry, fly low!" Tinkerberry did, and Rachel explained, "There are some people not very far away from us."

Tinkerberry hid in a plant growing out of a rock. Hopefully, anyone who saw her would think she was just a leaf.

Rachel looked around, hoping the people would leave soon. She picked up a leaf that was about the right size, she hoped, and showed it to the tinker fairy.

Tinkerberry nodded. The leaf was the right size. The little fairy brushed the leaf off and carried it back down to the fort, flying very low. Once she got back, she put it on her bed and laid underneath it. She was already tired, since she had stayed up the whole night talking with her friends.

A few minutes later, Tinkerberry got up. She had work to do!

"Mayah, Melon," Tinkerberry said, "I found a great spot for your beds!"

She fluttered over to the mossy rock on the concrete wall. Mayah and Melon followed.

"The bottom spot looks great for me!" Mayah said. She laid down, and she liked it. It would have been hard, but the moss growing on it made it soft enough to sleep on.

Melon flew to the top spot. "I like this spot," she said.

Tinkerberry explained her idea to the garden fairies. "I was thinking Mayah could have a little canopy over her bed. I could take sticks and put them on the top part so they would hang over the bottom part, then put leaves across the sticks to make a canopy!"

"Great idea!" Mayah said.

Tinkerberry picked up the two sticks that she had put there two days ago. She set them on the top part so they hung over Mayah. Melon moved to sit on the ground so she wouldn't be in the way.

Tinkerberry flew out of the fort with Rachel following. There were still people out there, so Rachel grabbed the fairy and held her in her hand. Suddenly, one of the people looked over! Rachel dropped Tinkerberry, who hid in the grass. The person finally walked away, and Tinkerberry fluttered back up to her friend.

"I have an idea!" the tinker exclaimed. "I can use grass instead of a leaf for the canopy!"

Rachel obviously didn't understand, so Tinkerberry picked a long blade of grass.

"Oh, you need grass!" Rachel said.

Tinkerberry nodded, then flew close to the ground back to the fort. Rachel followed her back.

"What took so long?" asked Mayah.

"There were humans out there. I had to hide until they left," Tinkerberry explained.

Melon frowned. "I hope you weren't seen."

"I wasn't," said Tinkerberry. "Okay, I'm going to break this blade of grass into pieces and put it on top of the canopy."

She did so, and the sticks fell onto Mayah.

Tinkerberry groaned. She was wondering how to make the sticks stay up. Then she smiled. If she had two y-shaped sticks…

The tinker fairy searched for the right sticks, but she didn't find any. Rachel, who wasn't exactly sure what Tinkerberry was doing, said, "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll find what you are looking for."

"Thanks," said the tinker. She finally found a y-shaped stick, but when she flew back to the rock, she found it was too short!

"Darn it!" cried Tinkerberry, kicking the blade of grass. It fell to the muddy ground, and Tinkerberry was knocked off balance and fell off the concrete wall.

Tinkerberry quickly righted herself, but not before she fell into the mud. Her hair, dress, and feet got muddy, but luckily, her wings didn't. She flew back up onto the wall.

"Oh, poor fairy!" Rachel laughed, seeing the muddy Tinkerberry.

"It's alright," Tinkerberry said. "But while I was down there, I got an idea."

Tinkerberry fluttered over to some long sticks that weren't y-shaped. She picked them up and flew back to the rock. Then she flew out of the fort and grabbed another blade of grass. She tied the sticks to the sticks forming the canopy, but the knots came out and it fell onto Mayah again.

"Ouch!" cried the garden fairy.

Tinkerberry groaned. It had failed again! Then she got another idea.

"If the sticks can go behind the rock, then it will hopefully not fall!" Trinity cried.

Tinkerberry grabbed two long sticks that had a piece sticking out from them and placed them over the top part of the rock. The piece sticking out went behind the rock, stopping the sticks from falling. Tinkerberry put the other sticks that were sitting unused on top of the long sticks for the canopy. Then she flew over to a plant that was growing on the ground of the fort and picked a leaf. The leaf was fuzzy. She set it on top of the canopy.

"There! The canopy is done!" she cried.

Mayah grinned. "I like it!"

Tinkerberry flew back over to the plant and picked another leaf. "It's for your covers," she told Mayah.

The leaf was nice and fuzzy, and Mayah laid under it happily. She fell asleep for a little bit.

"Where can I have my bed?" asked Melon. The sticks were over the top part of the rock, and now Melon couldn't sleep there!

"You go look around the fort for a good place, and I'll help you when you find it," Tinkerberry replied. The tinker fairy flew to her bed and laid down, pulling the covers over her.

Melon flew around the fort. _No, not the tree. The tree was a bit high. Not the bamboo in the tree, either. She could fall out too easily._

Melon came to the bamboo log sitting on the ground. She grabbed a stick and cleared out the spiderwebs, then walked in. She liked it! It was close to the ground, and a plant grow just outside of it! She laid sideways. Then she laid with her feet by the hole to get in. Finally, she flipped around so her head was just inside of the hole. Perfect.

"Tinkerberry, I'm ready!" Melon called.

Tinkerberry opened her eyes. "Huh?" Then she remembered. "Coming, Melon!"

Trinity flew over to Melon. "Nice place!"

The tinker fairy grabbed two fuzzy leaves, placing one on the floor of the bamboo log. Melon laid down, and Tinkerberry put the other leaf on top of her.

"So cozy!" Melon exclaimed.

After a little while, each fairy flew out of her bed and sat on a branch that was from the tree in the fort. They looked out toward the waterfall. Rachel smiled. Each of the fairies seemed very happy. Tinkerberry was glad her work was complete. Mayah and Melon were happy to be outside with the plants again.

Rachel frowned. It was almost time to go home. She considered something. Then she said, "Fairies, please come!"

Tinkerberry and Melon flew down from the branch and landed in Rachel's hand, sitting down. Mayah landed in the other hand, still standing. Rachel sat on a brick, and the fairies flew over to the bamboo log. Melon and Tinkerberry sat down, while Mayah laid down.

"Fairies, I have a question. Do you want to stay here overnight?" asked Rachel.

All the fairies nodded enthusiastically.

"It might be a few days before I come back," Rachel said. "Is that okay?"

The fairies nodded again, jingling.

"Okay," said Rachel. "I have to go soon."

She gave each fairy a hug and a kiss on the head. "Be safe, fairies."

The fairies nodded.

Rachel waited until each fairy had flown to her bed. "Bye, Mayah. Bye, Tinkerberry. Bye, Melon," she called. She stopped at the doorway and looked back. "Bye," she said, walking out, wondering if this was the right thing to do.

The fairies laid in their beds a little longer, and heard Rachel call, "Are you girls okay?"

"Yes!" they jingled back.

After a little while, the fairies got out of their beds. "This is going to be the best night ever!"


	55. Not So Little Anymore

The fairies, minus Melon, Mayah, and Tinkerberry, were laying in their beds in the cupboard. Suddenly, Rachel opened the door and turned on the flashlight.

"Where's Mayah?" asked Dewdrop.

"Where's Tinkerberry?" Breeze asked.

Frostie Jewel asked, "Where's Melon?"

"Hi, fairies!" Rachel said, not knowing the fairies were asking a question. Then she said, "Cassy, come here!"

Carrie flew out of the cupboard. She looked on the bed, and there was a dog!

"We're going to see Bailey!" Rachel said.

"Bailey?" gasped Cassy incredulously. Rachel walked over to the bed with the sleeping dog. Cassy looked at the dog. Was it really Bailey? The dog was as big as a Labrador, but had the same markings as the little puppy Cassy had met almost a year ago.

"Bailey?" Cassy jingled.

The dog opened its eyes. "Hi, big orange bug. I think I remember you."

Cassy looked into the big brown eyes. They were the same eyes her puppy friend had. Yes, this was indeed Bailey, the same Bailey that had been the puppy she'd met!

"It's me, Cassy," said Cassy. "Remember, the fairy?"

Bailey yawned. "Yes, I think I remember. You didn't like baths."

Cassy nodded, jingling excitedly. Bailey licked her face. Cassy giggled. "It's been such a long time!" She petted the dog.

Bailey got up and walked over to the floor, then laid down. "I'm tired. This is my nap time."

"Aw, that's okay," said Cassy. She landed on Bailey's side and laid on her. "I'm ready to sleep."

Bailey's eyes closed as she fell asleep again.

"Bailey's sleeping," said Rachel. She petted Bailey's stomach. "Good girl," said Rachel.

Cassy fluttered over to Bailey's face. She gave the dog a kiss on the cheek, then on the forehead. Bailey opened her mouth and nibbled on Cassy's fingers.

"Aww, you're cute," said Cassy.

Bailey yawned again. "Can I go to sleep now? Maybe we can play later."

Rachel told Cassy, "You should probably go back in the cupboard. Bailey wants to sleep."

Of course, Rachel hadn't understood the dog speaking. She had only seen Bailey yawn, and she knew the dog wanted to sleep.

"Okay," said Cassy. "Bye, Bailey!"

Bailey looked up. "Bye, fairy." The dog shut her eyes and fell asleep again.

Cassy flew to the cupboard, and Rachel opened it. Cassy flew in and jingled to her friends, and Rachel shut the door.

"Guess what! Remember the puppy Bailey? Well, she's all grown up now!" Cassy said. "She was sleepy today, but she wanted to play later."

Sophie grinned. "Good for you!" She grabbed a ball of light from the flashlight and put it in her bed.

"I wonder where Trinity, May, and Melon are?" said Shimmer. "It's been a day, and we know Rachel's back."

Moss smiled. "I'm sure they're safe. Maybe they went to Pixie Hollow."

The jingling from the cupboard died down, and the fairies started resting again. Elsie was especially tired, as she had stayed up the night before worrying about her three friends.


	56. At the Farm Again

Rachel opened the cupboard door. "Sophie, Cassy, come here! We're going to the Farm!"

Sophie and Cassy jingled excitedly as Rachel held out her hand. They flew to it, and she put them in her purse.

Rachel walked to the Farm. As she neared the fort, she whispered, "I hope they are still there. I hope they are still there." She got to the fort. "Mayah? Tinkerberry? Melon?"

Mayah was laying on the ground beside her bed, Tinkerberry was sitting up in her bed, and Melon was halfway out of her bed.

"Fairies! You're still here!" Rachel cried. The three fairies flew to her, and she hugged them.

The canopy over Mayah's bed was gone. Rachel looked at it, and asked, "Where is the canopy?"

Tinkerberry explained, "It wasn't working, so I took it down."

Yesterday had been a busy day for the three. Mayah and Melon had been out ripening fruits and tending to plants. Tinkerberry had been trying to make the canopy work, but it had ended up failing. All too soon, night had fallen, and the fairies had flown back to their beds.

Now, Tinkerberry and Melon sat on Tinkerberry's bed, while Mayah stood on it.

"Two nights, huh?" Rachel said. "I worried about you."

Then Rachel unzipped her purse, and Cassy and Sophia flew out!

"Mayah! Melon! Tinkerberry!" they cried, fluttering over to them. "So this is where you were yesterday!"

"Yes," said Tinkerberry.

Sophie asked, "What is this place, anyway?"

"It's our camp," Mayah said. "Tinkerberry is building it. She's going to build a bed for all of us."

Cassy grinned as she saw a butterfly fly into the fort, then out. "I like this place!"  
"Sophie, where do you want your bed?" asked Tinkerberry.

"I'll look around," said Sophia.

Rachel walked out of the fort and saw the bamboo stick in the tree. "I wish I could see in there well," she said. "I need a rock or something to stand on so I can see inside."

As Sophie flew around the fort, looking for a good place for a bed, Rachel walked out of the fort. "What can I use?" She looked around for rocks, but all the rocks were either huge boulders that she couldn't carry or they were too short. She finally came back empty-handed.

"I can't find anything!" she cried. Then she thought, _what would Tinkerberry do_?

Rachel looked down and saw a brick! She moved it to the place she needed to stand and stepped on it. It was better, but she could still barely see into it. She went into the fort and brought out another brick. Better, but not quite tall enough. She grabbed another brick and placed it on top of the two bricks she'd set there. Almost there! She got the final brick and placed it on top. She climbed onto the stack of bricks and looked in. Perfect! Suddenly, Rachel began teetering. She quickly got down before the bricks could fall.

"I need something to steady it," said Rachel. She saw a rock in a little cave under a boulder. She stopped. Was it safe to go in there? She decided to go in after a few minutes, and grabbed the rock. She quickly got out, dodging spiderwebs. She placed the rock against the bricks, and straightened the bricks.

Rachel climbed back on the pile of bricks. Now it was sturdy.

Sophie flew over and looked into the bamboo in the tree. She liked the way the sun shone on it.

"I'll take this for a bed," she said.

Tinkerberry grinned and flew over. "Great!"

The tinker-talent fairy looked into the bamboo. It was much too long for Sophie. She would put some sticks in the middle of the hollow segment so that Sophie wouldn't slide too far in.

Tinkerberry grabbed some sticks. She broke them into small pieces. But they were all either too short or too long to make a good stick wall. She groaned. Finally, she got three stick pieces that were the perfect size. She pushed them in with a long stick. They were perfect!

Sophie flew into the bamboo. The space was the perfect amount, and she grinned. She flew out and sat in the tree to wait.

Tinkerberry picked a fuzzy leaf and put it in front of the stick wall, then put two more small fuzzy leaves on the floor of the bamboo. Sophie flew in and laid down, her head looking out of the opening. Tinkerberry picked another big fuzzy leaf and put it on Sophie. Sophie sighed and dozed off for a few seconds before sitting up and looking out of the bamboo. She bent the beams of light that were shining on her.

Melon and Cassy were sitting on Mayah's bed, and Mayah was standing. They were talking about the fort. They had been there for a little while. Then, Tinkerberry fluttered over to them. Rachel, who had gotten down from the bricks, was behind her.

"Cassy, Sophie's bed is done. Where do you want your bed?" asked Trinity.

Cassy jingled happily and flew over to Tinkerberry. "I don't know, I'll have to look!"

The garden fairies flew over to Melon's bed to talk while Cassy looked around the fort. She saw the brick on the floor with the six holes. Cassy grinned and picked up a stick, clearing the cobwebs out of the top middle hole. She laid down in the hole. It was nice, with lots of tiny ants crawling around inside it. "Hi, guys!" Cassy said. The ants squeaked in reply, although Cassy understood the squeaks as a greeting.

"Do you want to have this bed?" asked Tinkerberry.

Cassy nodded. Tinkerberry smiled and flew out of the fort, Rachel following. She pointed to a triangular rock, which Rachel picked up. Tinkerberry sat in Rachel's other hand.

Suddenly, Rachel saw a person very close to the camp! The person saw Rachel at the same moment. Rachel dropped Tinkerberry, hoping the person hadn't seen the fairy. Tinkerberry let herself fall into the grass below.

"Hello," said Rachel.

"Hello," the person replied.

Then the person walked away.

Tinkerberry flew up to Rachel again. They stayed silent for a long while. After a while, they decided the person couldn't be in earshot. Tinkerberry started jingling, and Rachel began worrying.

 _What if that person saw Tinkerberry? I hope Sophie wasn't seen. After all, she was still sitting in her bed. Even if the fairies weren't seen, now that person knows something's down here. I hope he doesn't tell anyone else. I hope he didn't see the door to the fort._

Rachel followed Tinkerberry back to Cassy and set the rock down, still worrying. Tinkerberry positioned the rock as a ramp to Cassy's bed. The tinker fairy flew over to the plant with the fuzzy leaves and put it in the top middle hole in the brick. Cassy flew in and laid down, her feet poking out of the hole. She sighed.

Rachel was wondering what to do. Should she leave the fairies in the fort, where someone might possibly go? Or should she bring them back to her house? They would want to stay in the fort, she was certain. But she was worried for them.

"Fairies," Rachel said. "I'm going to let you stay here, except for Sophie."

Sophie frowned.

Rachel reconsidered. That wouldn't be fair to Sophie. "You can stay here," she relented. "But please stay in the back of the fort, at least in the daytime."

The fairies fluttered over to Mayah's bed, which was in the back of the fort. All the fairies sat down on it, except for Mayah, who stood on it.

"I have to go," Rachel said. "Bye, fairies."

The fairies jingled and waved to Rachel, who left the fort. She was worrying about the fairies. Would someone find them, or worse, hurt them? And how long would it be before she could come back?

The fairies, too, were a little worried. Of course, they could hide if someone came. But what if they didn't hear someone coming, or what if someone found them while they were asleep?

These were the thoughts swirling through the fairies' and the human girl's mind as Rachel walked home slowly.


	57. The Downpour

The sun was setting, and Mayah, Melon, Tinkerberry, Cassy, and Sophie were sitting in the fort. They'd been afraid to leave the fort, worried that someone would find them. Sophie was sitting in her bed, catching the last light of day. Mayah and Melon were helping a poor little plant inside the fort grow taller. Cassy was playing with a butterfly. And Tinkerberry – well, Tinkerberry was sitting in her bed, frustrated.

"How do I make Mayah's canopy work?" she said out loud to herself. She kicked one of the sticks by her bed, which fell over. Tinkerberry groaned and flew down to the ground, picked it up, and put it back.

Mayah noticed the sun had set. The fort was almost totally dark, except for the small light of the fairies' glows.

"I think it's time to go to bed," said Mayah.

"Aw, man," Cassy said. "Bye, butterfly!"

The butterfly flew out of the fort and went to its bed.

"Mayah, tell us a story," said Sophie.

Mayah's smile shrunk, but it didn't go away. "I can't tell stories, I'm not a storytelling-talent fairy," she said.

"That's okay if it isn't very good of a story," Sophie said. "We'll still listen."

Mayah sighed. "Alright," she said.

The fairies flew over to Mayah's bed and sat down. Mayah stood next to it.

"Tell us about how Rachel found you!" cried Melon.

"Okay," Mayah said. She began. "I was flying around the mainland when I flew into a house. I went in a room. Then the door shut. Someone came in, and I hid in a box. Then Rachel found me. She picked me up. I made myself totally still, hoping that she wouldn't realize I was alive. But then I sneezed..."

It began to rain. The fairies were still listening to Mayah's story, so they didn't go to their beds. It rained harder. Soon, the fairies couldn't hear Mayah because of the rain.

Tinkerberry shouted, "I CAN'T HEAR YOU, MAY! I'M GOING BACK TO MY BED!"

She tried to flutter, but found her wings wouldn't work. She then felt that they were wet.

"Oh, no," Tinkerberry said. "My wings are soaked."

It was pouring, and each fairy found that her wings were wet. They couldn't get back to their beds.

"Let's stay here until our wings dry," said Cassy.

Tinkerberry observed, "We're really close to the edge. I hope we don't fall, it's a long way down."

The fairies were now terrified. Since it was dark, they couldn't see very well, and they didn't know where the wall was exactly. As the rain came down and soaked them to the skin, they stayed still for fear of falling.

Hours passed, and the rain kept falling. The fairies were exhausted, but made themselves stay awake. If they moved in their sleep, they might fall.

"My leg aches," Mayah said, though the others could barely hear her.

"My dress is soaked," Melon added.

"My hair tie is also soaked," Tinkerberry said. "Eww, it feels so gross on my neck."

"My feet are wet," said Cassy. "They don't feel so good in these shoes."

"My hair is sopping," complained Sophie, "and I don't like the sound of the rain. Oh, when will it stop?"

They fell silent. Mayah tried to think of something good about the situation.

"At least nobody will be outside to find us," she managed.

Sophie smiled thinly. "That's true."

The fairies fell silent again. A few more hours passed, and the rain let up some. It wasn't so noisy now.

Mayah drifted off to sleep a few times, but each time, she woke up again. Her dress was soaked and very uncomfortable.

Finally, it stopped raining. The fairies were still in the dark with wet wings though, so they didn't move.

More hours passed. The sky began to grow lighter. Sophie smiled.

It was soon early morning. The fairies were tired, but they still forced themselves to stay awake. Their wings were still wet, and they still didn't want to fall. They didn't move either, since there was really nowhere they could go on foot.

Morning passed, and it was the afternoon. Mayah's dress had begun to dry. Tinkerberry's wings were nearly dry now, but the other fairies' wings were still soaked.

The fairies suddenly heard a sound. They tensed. It sounded like footsteps. They couldn't hide with their wings wet. Would this be the end?

A girl walked into the fort. "Fairies," she said.

Mayah grinned. "Rachel!" she cried.

The fairies relaxed. It was only Rachel.

Rachel walked to Mayah's bed. "Oh, poor fairies!" she said. "I was worried about you last night when I heard the rain."

Breeze and Dewdrop each flew out of one of Rachel's pockets.

"Mayah! Tinkerberry! Cassy! Melon! Sophie!" the two cried. They flew over to their friends.

"Your wings are wet," Breeze said to Cassy. "What happened?"

"All their wings are wet," Dewdrop said. She sighed. "It must have rained last night. I wish I would have been here."

"It was not fun," Mayah said to Dewdrop. "We were awake all night."

Rachel said, "I'm going to go for a bit. I'll be back in a few minutes."

The human left the fort, and the fairies talked with each other for a bit. A little while later, Rachel came back in and walked over to the fairies.

Rachel noticed the five fairies who had been there overnight looked exhausted. Their eyelids were drooping, and their wings were drooping too.

"You look tired," Rachel said to them. "I'll take you over to your beds, since you can't fly."

Tinkerberry smiled brightly. "Thank you!"

Rachel picked up Tinkerberry, Mayah, Sophie, Melon, and Cassy. She dried their wings as best as she could with her shirt. Then she set Mayah back on her bed and covered her with her leaf blanket.

"Get some rest," said Rachel.

Mayah nodded gratefully and instantly fell asleep.

Rachel brought each of the other fairies to their beds. First Tinkerberry, then Melon and Cassy. Each of them fell fast asleep.

The human accidentally dropped Sophie. Since her wings were still a bit wet, she couldn't fly back up, so she landed on the ground.

"Oh, I am so sorry!" cried Rachel. She picked up Sophie and dried her wings all the way. Sophie smiled and fluttered her wings.

"Okay, now it's time for you to go to bed," Rachel said. She let go of Sophie, who flew up to her bed. Rachel climbed onto the bricks and pulled out Sophie's blanket.

"Oh, it's full of ants!" cried Rachel. She dropped the leaf blanket. It fell to the ground.

Rachel looked into the bamboo stick. She saw clusters of ants in the back.

"Oh no!" cried Rachel. "Your home is infested with ants! They must have crawled in there to get out of the rain last night!"

Sophie frowned hard. Now she didn't have a bed! She couldn't sleep in the bamboo stick now, after all. She was grateful that she hadn't been in there last night. She shuddered, thinking of ants crawling over her while she slept. It was a good thing after all, she decided, that they'd been trapped over on the concrete wall where Mayah's bed was.

"Well, I guess you'll have to find a new home now," Rachel said.

Sophie flew out of the fort. Suddenly, her wings gave out, and she fell. Rachel caught her.

"Oh, no!" cried the human.

Sophie jingled weakly. Rachel realized what had happened. Sophie had been so tired that she couldn't flutter her wings to keep her in the air, and she'd fallen.

Rachel smiled at her. "I'll help you find a bed fast," she said. The exhausted light fairy sat up in Rachel's hand and looked.

On the ground right next to the chain-link fence in the fort was a mossy spot that sunlight shined on. Sophie pointed to it.

Rachel smiled. "There?"  
Sophie nodded, and gathered the strength to fly the short distance to the spot. She laid down, and Rachel put a fuzzy leaf on top of her. Sophie fell asleep promptly.

Then, Rachel walked over to Mayah's bed. Next to the sleeping fairy stood Breeze and Dewdrop.

"Breeze, since Tinkerberry is asleep, I'll have to help you make your bed," said Rachel.

Breeze zipped around the fort. She landed on the highest branch of the tree in the fort.

"Up there?" Rachel said. "Oh, come on. I can't see!"

She took two bricks off the stack she'd made the day before and moved them close to Breeze's branch. She stood on them. Now she could see. She moved a few dead leaves off the spot Breeze had chosen.

"There, now you just need a cover," said Rachel.

She stepped down, and Breeze followed her.

"Tinkerberry!" jingled Breeze.

Tinkerberry opened one eye. "What."

"Are these the fuzzy leaves?" asked the fast-flying fairy, pointing to a plant near where Sophie was sleeping.

"Yes," Tinkerberry said. "Now let me sleep."

She fell back asleep after a few minutes.

Breeze fluttered down to the plant. All the leaves were too small, except for the ones that were sticking outside of the fence. Breeze flew through the fence.

"Breeze, don't go out there!" cried Rachel.

Breeze turned around. "You aren't my boss," she retorted. She picked a leaf and flew back through.

Rachel, of course, didn't understand the words.

Breeze zipped over to her branch and laid down, covering herself. She fell asleep after a while.

Rachel was back over by Dewdrop. "Okay, Dewdrop," she said. "It's time to make your home."

Dewdrop grinned, jingling. She fluttered out of the fort with Rachel following. But before Rachel left, she saw Breeze laying on the ground.

"Breeze, how did you get down there?" asked Rachel.

Breeze, dazed, jingled after a minute, "I was sleeping, and the next thing I knew, I was down here! I must have rolled off."

Rachel put Breeze on a lower branch. "Here is a better spot for you," she said.

Breeze sighed but didn't complain.

Dewdrop had flown back into the fort. "I didn't find anything out there!" she jingled. Then she saw the waterfall through the fence. "Ooh..."

Dewdrop flew through the fence.

"Dewdrop, come back!" Rachel cried.

Dewdrop came back.

"Please don't go out there," Rachel said. "It's dangerous. I don't want you to drown."

Dewdrop frowned. She decided to sleep as close to the waterfall as possible, and chose a spot on the concrete wall right next to the fence.

"Okay, I'll get you a leaf," Rachel said. She gave Dewdrop a leaf cover, and the water fairy rested.

"I have to go home now," Rachel told the fairies. "Bye! See you later!"

The fairies jingled a farewell, and Rachel walked out of the fort.


	58. Blue Pixie Dust!

Frostie Jewel and Elsie sat in Frostie Jewel's bed, talking about winter. Shimmer and Moss sat in Shimmer's bed, talking to each other. Cinnamon sat on her container, talking to Ferni. The rest of the fairies weren't there.

Rachel opened the cupboard and took out Moss and Shimmer. She put them in her pockets.

In the fort, the fairies were laying in their beds – except for Cassy, who was talking to a butterfly again. The fairies were taking a short nap, except for Cassy. After Rachel had left the day before, Mayah, Tinkerberry, Cassy, Melon, and Sophie had slept the rest of the day away. Breeze and Dewdrop had practiced their talents while the others had been sleeping. Dewdrop had been playing by the waterfall outside of the fence. She'd skated on the water for a while, then had sat outside of the pond and made shapes out of the water. Breeze had been flying all over the Farm at top speed. She'd almost been spotted, but luckily, she was just a blur to anyone who'd seen her.

When night fell, Breeze and Dewdrop had gone to their beds and went to sleep. The other fairies had still been sleeping.

In the morning, all the fairies had woken up, except for Sophie, who'd been extremely tired. Tinkerberry had set to work searching for the perfect materials to make a tinker's hammer. Mayah and Melon had flown around the Farm ripening fruits and growing plants. Cassy had talked to a bird. Breeze had flown high into the sky, figuring out where Rachel's house was located in comparison to the Farm. Dewdrop had played in the rock pools. And Sophie, well, Sophie had slept.

At noon, the fairies had eaten fruits that Mayah and Melon had picked. Sophie hadn't eaten. She'd been asleep.

In the afternoon, the fairies had resumed what they had been doing. But soon, they had gone back to the fort for a quick nap. They slept for a few hours. Cassy was the first to wake up, and she'd gone to talk to a butterfly. Fifteen minutes passed, and Cassy was flying back to her bed when Rachel walked into the fort!

"Hi, fairies!" Rachel called.

The fairies woke up and jingled a greeting.

"Breeze, hello," Rachel said. She picked up the fast-flying fairy, who smiled.

Rachel set Breeze back on her bed. Then she went over to Sophie. "Hi, Sophie!" she said.

Sophie jingled. Then, the light fairy felt something on her back. She sat up and screamed. Ants were crawling on her!

Rachel noticed too. "Ants!" she cried. They were crawling on Sophie's wings, back, and even into her hair! Sophie quickly took off her dress and dropped it onto the ground. Rachel brushed the ants off Sophia's back and wings, then took Sophie's bun out to get the ants out of her hair. Finally, all the ants were gone. Sophie, quite shaken up, put her dress back on and let Rachel put her bun back in.

"The ants really must not like you," Rachel said. "First they infested your bed, and now this."

Sophie nodded. "Why me? Why can't they go bother Cassy?" she jingled.

Rachel brushed Sophie's blanket off, then put it over her. Sophie didn't go to sleep. She was wide awake, hoping the ants wouldn't come back.

The human asked the rest of the fairies if they had ants on them, but none of them did. Then, Shimmer and Moss flew out of Rachel's pockets!

"Friends!" they cried. "This is where you've been!" Then the sisters laughed, realizing they'd said it at the exact same time. Their identical brown eyes were twinkling.

Tinkerberry fluttered over. "Moss, let's get you a bed," she said.

"Okay," said Moss. The scout fairy flew out of the fort and onto the top of the rock. She looked for the perfect spot, then laid down near the edge of the rock, where lots of small plants she could hide in grew.

Tinkerberry smiled. "There?"

Moss nodded.

Tinkerberry looked for a good leaf. Suddenly, Moss said, "Come back. There are humans about."

Sure enough, people were walking a short distance away. Tinkerberry came back and stayed still, while Rachel went away from the rock so she wouldn't attract attention to it.

Meanwhile, Shimmer, who was talking to Sophie, looked up at the tree. "I bet I could make this into a pixie dust tree," said the dust-keeper. Suddenly, she had an idea.

"Remember the pixie dust tree by Rachel's old house?" asked Shimmer.

Sophia nodded.

"It doesn't need to be a pixie dust tree anymore," Shimmer said. "I could go and get the blue dust that I put there!"

"Shimmer, it will take hours for you to fly back to Rachel's old house," Sophie said.

Breeze, who'd been listening, said, "No it won't."

Shimmer looked at her, interested.

"I think it would be great to have a pixie dust tree here!" Breeze said. "And if I help you get to Rachel's old house, it won't take very long."

Shimmer grinned. "Breeze, you're the best!" she cried. "But I'd better tell Moss where I'm going."

Shimmer's wings began sparkling. On top of the rock, Moss's wings began to sparkle too.

"What does she need?" Moss whispered. She looked over. The humans were still there. "It'll have to wait," Moss whispered to herself. "It would be too dangerous for me to fly into the fort right now."

Shimmer's wings sparkled for a long while. Then they stopped, and Shimmer said, "She must be too busy right now."

Breeze said, "Let's get moving!"

Shimmer tucked her big wings behind her back, and Breeze flew over to her. The dust-keeper fairy laid face-down on the ground, and Breeze grabbed the dust-keeper by the shoulders. The fast-flying fairy then flew up into the air, holding Shimmer by the shoulders. Breeze then flew as fast as she could, which was the speed of sound.

Shimmer screamed as she was carried through the air by Breeze. Breeze was going so fast that Shimmer was sure her eyes were about to pop out. Her lips began to bleed, and she squeezed her eyes shut. It was terrifying to look at the ground below going by so fast.

In five minutes, they arrived at Rachel's old house and landed on the tree. Shimmer felt dizzy and nearly fell out of the tree. Breeze held her up until Shimmer got her bearings back.

"That… was..." Shimmer gasped.

"Amazing?" asked Breeze.

"No," Shimmer replied, "terrifying. I don't want to do that ever again."

Breeze frowned. "We have to get back home somehow," she reminded Shimmer.

"Oh, no," Shimmer groaned.

"Come on, just get the blue dust," Breeze said.

Shimmer flew to the top of the tree. Breeze stood in the shower of pixie dust until Shimmer had taken the specks of blue dust and the pixie dust had stopped flowing. Shimmer picked up a leaf bag and set the blue dust inside. Then she tied it tightly, and used the stem to tie it around her waist. Breeze took hold of Shimmer's shoulders and began flying back to the fort. Shimmer squeezed her eyes shut again and tried not to throw up.

At that same moment, the humans near the fort walked away. Rachel brought a leaf back to Tinkerberry, who smiled. She gave it to Moss, who laid down on the rock and put the leaf over top of herself. Moss rested for a few seconds, then went back to scouting.

Breeze landed in the tree and let go of Shimmer, whose fingertips had begun to bleed. Shimmer fluttered in a dizzy circle until she stopped feeling so dizzy. Then the dust-keeper fairy placed the blue dust in the tree. Pixie dust began flowing down into a flat spot in the tree.

Shimmer smiled. She sucked her fingers until they stopped bleeding. Then she heard Tinkerberry fly up behind her.

"Hi, Shimmer," Tinkerberry said. "I noticed you were bleeding. I think there's a fairy camp outside of the fence. You should see if any healing fairies are there."

"Okay," Shimmer said gratefully. "Thanks for telling me!"

She flew through the fence and looked around. There she saw a fairy.

"Hi there," Shimmer said, "do you know of any healing-talents around?"

The fairy nodded and showed her to the camp. Inside, a healing-talent named Poppy flew over to Shimmer.

"What happened?" she asked after seeing Shimmer's bleeding fingertips and scabbed lips.

"Well, I was being carried by my friend Breeze, and she was flying so fast my lips and fingers started bleeding," Shimmer said to her.

"Oh, my," said Poppy. "Breeze is a fast-flying fairy, right?"  
Shimmer nodded.

Poppy pulled a bunch of gauze from her pockets and wrapped it around Shimmer's fingers. Then she sprinkled pixie dust on it, and took the gauze off. Shimmer's fingertips were much better now.

Next, Poppy put a potion on Shimmer's lips. In seconds, the scabs had healed.

"Thank you!" cried Shimmer.

Poppy smiled. "It was no problem."

Shimmer said, "Fly with you later!" She then flew out of the fairy camp and back to the fort.

Rachel was looking at the pixie dust flowing from the tree. "Shimmer, wow!" she cried.

Shimmer smiled.

Tinkerberry flew over to Shimmer and said, "Moss's bed is finished. Now you get to pick a place, Shimmer!"

Shimmer flew over to the tree and found a branch stump next to the bamboo stick that had been Sophie's bed before it got infested with ants. She laid down. It was very comfortable, and she told Tinkerberry, "I want this spot."

"Okay," Tinkerberry said. She picked a fuzzy leaf and gave it to Shimmer, who put it over herself. Shimmer sighed. She looked up at the stream of pixie dust, then over at her sister, who was scouting. Shimmer wouldn't have even spotted her, except Moss had waved at Shimmer.

Rachel went into the fort and watched her friends fluttering around and doing what they loved best. A few minutes passed, and then Rachel said, "I have to go. Stay safe!"

She walked out of the fort as the fairies called, "Fly with you later!"


	59. Poor Sophie

Rachel brought Elsie and Cinnamon to the fort. Elsie decided to sleep under a leaf near Tinkerberry, and Cinnamon slept near the fence. Then, a cat walked into the fort!

"Cat!" Moss cried.

The fairies didn't know what to do. But Moss picked up a stick and flew down at the cat, screaming. The cat, scared of the noise and the fairy flying toward it, ran away.

Moss went back to her spot where she could continue scouting.

The next day, it began to rain. The fairies all flew inside the fort, but Sophie, who was still asleep, didn't get under the roof. She was washed off her bed.

* * *

Rachel, in her house, noticed it was raining. She hoped the fairies were okay.

* * *

Sophie woke up and tried to flutter her wings. She found she couldn't. She looked around. All she could see was mud! Her wings were dripping wet.

"Help!" she tried to call. But her mouth filled with mud. She was too weak to dig her way out, for her arms had been bruised when she was washed away. "Oh, where am I?" she said, though her mouth was full of mud.

Sophie began to shiver. She was cold and wet. She felt cold, muddy leaves pressing against her body. She didn't feel so well. Sophie tried not to drift off to sleep, but her body was just so weak she couldn't help it. She slept for hours.

* * *

The next day, Rachel walked into the fort. "Hi, Moss! Hi, Shimmer!" she called, seeing them. They had flown back to their beds after the rain had stopped. Moss was scouting now, and she waved to Rachel.

Rachel went inside the fort and looked at all the fairies, saying hello to each one. Each fairy jingled a response. But when Rachel looked at Sophie's bed, the fairy was gone!

"Sophie?" Rachel said, bending down to look closer. The fairy was nowhere around her bed. Rachel began to worry. She looked all around the fort. "Sophie?"

She didn't find the light fairy. Panic crept into Rachel's heart. She looked through the chain-link fence. "Oh no," she said. "Sophie!"

She looked everywhere she could see outside of the fence from where she was inside. Rachel still couldn't find Sophie. Now she was scared. Sophie might be drowned!

Rachel cried Sophie's name frantically as terror seeped into her heart. Was her friend lost forever, or worse, dead? She fell to the ground on her knees, crying for Sophie. Hot tears ran down her face. "I'm a terrible human," she cried. "I let this happen. Please, Sophie, be alive."

Rachel walked to Sophie's bed again. Suddenly, she saw a bit of yellow peeking out of some muddy leaves close to the bed. Her heart skipped a beat. Could she dare hope...?

Rachel pulled on the yellow, and Sophie was revealed! Relief surged into Rachel. Sophie opened her eyes, having been awakened by the movement. She looked at Rachel and smiled. She wasn't lost anymore.

Rachel pulled Sophie's hair flower out of the mud and put it back into Sophie's hair. Then the human said, "Poor Sophia, you're so dirty!"

Sophie was very dirty. Her hair, clothes, body, and wings were very muddy, and so was her flower.

Rachel said, "This bed is not a good place for you. We'll have to find a new bed for you."

Rachel picked her up, so happy to see Sophia's face again. Then she said, "I'm sorry, but I will have to give you a bath."

Sophie didn't protest. Rachel carried her out of the fort and looked in each rock pool, but each one was dry. Rachel didn't know what to do. Then she said, "I'll have to take you to the bathroom."

She held Sophie in her hand, concealing her as she walked to the bathroom. She peeked in cautiously, then walked in. No one was there.

Rachel undressed the fairy and took the flower out of her hair. Sophie had dirt under her dress, too. Then Rachel turned the faucet, and water came out.

"I'm sorry, Sophie, I know you don't like baths," said Rachel. "I got you. You won't drown. Hold your breath."

Sophie took a breath and held it. Rachel held her under the running water. The dirt washed off her body and wings. Sophie felt good, being clean again, but oh, the water was so cold! She shivered as Rachel washed out Sophie's hair. Then Rachel placed the clean Sophie onto the side of the sink and began washing Sophia's clothes and flower. Sophie shivered. The cool air floated across her exposed, wet body, making her colder still.

Rachel was finished. She turned off the sink and put the yellow leaf dress back onto Sophie. It was still wet.

"Now, Sophie, do you want to go back to the fort or to my house?" asked Rachel.

Sophie, wet wings drooping, pointed to the fort.

"Okay," said Rachel.

Then, Sophie sneezed, though Rachel only heard a jingle. Sophie thought of the warmth of Rachel's house. She would much rather be warm.

"I want to go to your house," Sophie said, pointing to Rachel.

"To my house?" asked Rachel, hoping she'd understood the gestures.

Sophie nodded.

Rachel smiled, then frowned. Sophie was all wet. Then, Rachel had an idea. She grabbed a strip of toiletpaper and wrapped Sophie in it. "Can you breathe?" asked Rachel.

"Yes," Sophie said. Her jingles were muffled by the toiletpaper, but Rachel heard four distinct jingles and recognized it as the "yes" sound.

Rachel put the wrapped-up fairy in her pocket and walked back to the fort. She told the other fairies, "Sophie is going home with me."

The fairies jingled, and Rachel said, "I'm going home now. Bye!"

"Bye!" called the fairies, and waved to Rachel.

* * *

Sophie went to sleep again. She felt a bit better, as she was warm from Rachel's body heat and from being wrapped in the toiletpaper. She woke up every so often, sometimes sneezing. Once, she felt her nose running, which was odd, as usually only the water fairies got runny noses. She knew she was getting sick. She went to sleep again, and the next thing she knew, she was being set in the cupboard in Rachel's house. She was still wrapped up, and she heard the door shut. She began to sleep again, and slept the whole night.


	60. Cinnamon Goes Missing

Rachel opened the cupboard door. "Sophie, are you feeling any better?"

It had been a few days since Sophie had come home. The day afterwards, Rachel had opened the door and helped Sophie into bed. She'd turned on the light, and Sophie had fallen asleep. A few hours later, Rachel had opened the door again, and had shut off the light.

Now, Sophie flew out of her bed slowly. She shrugged and jingled, "I'm feeling better, but not well enough to do anything." Then she sneezed.

Rachel nodded without understanding. "Well, if you are still not better, you can go back to bed."

Sophie fluttered back to her bed and laid down.

Then, Rachel said, "Ferni, Frostie Jewel, we're going to the farm!"

The two fairies grinned and flew out of the cupboard. Rachel put them in her purse and zipped it shut.

* * *

A while later, Rachel arrived at the fort. She walked in, making sure each fairy was there. She got to the back. "Hey, Dewdrop, hey, Mayah," she said. Then she looked over at Cinnamon's bed. She gasped. It was empty!

Panic filled Rachel's heart. _Oh, no, not again,_ she thought. _I can_ _'_ _t go through this again._ She looked everywhere in the fort, lifting leaves and checking twice, three times. "I'm such a terrible person," she said out loud. "I should have known this wasn't a safe place. I wish I could turn back time to a few days ago when I was here last and move Cinnamon to a safer place!"

Rachel looked out through the fence. "If she fell through there," the human said, "she could have… drowned."

Rachel was unable to see very far through the fence, as a tree blocked her view. She looked around the fort some more. Then she looked at the fence.

"I have to find her, no matter what it takes," Rachel decided. She climbed over the fence, even though she was not allowed to. She looked in the tree, on the ground, and in the small pond. She didn't see a fairy in the pond, but she knew if Cinnamon had fallen in, she'd be at the bottom, dragged down by her wings, drowned.

Rachel climbed back over the fence. "Cinnamon!" she cried. She sat on the brick Cassy's bed was in and frowned. "She's gone," said Rachel. "I don't know where she is, but she's gone." Rachel was about to accept the fact that her friend was gone when she closed her eyes. In her mind, she saw Cinnamon, with her braided blonde hair and bangs, her twinkling eyes, and her fair skin. She could picture Cinnamon's green shawl and dress with the gray apron. She opened her eyes.

"I won't stop looking," she said fiercely. "I must find Cinnamon."

Rachel looked all over the fort again. She didn't find Cinnamon. She sat back down on the brick and began sobbing. The fairies looked at the crying girl, her head in her hands, her body shaking with sobs. Rachel cried for a while longer, then wiped her eyes.

"Moss," Rachel said. "Moss will be able to find her."

She walked out of the fort and looked over to where Moss was hiding. If she hadn't been looking for Moss, she wouldn't have noticed her. "Moss, please help me find Cinnamon," Rachel said.

Moss jingled and flew to Rachel. They went back into the fort. Moss's sharp eyes probed every inch of the fort, but Cinnamon wasn't there. "She's gone," jingled Moss.

Rachel understood the tone of Moss's jingles. Cinnamon was not there. Moss flew back to her spot.

Rachel felt faint. She walked out of the fort dazedly. "I have to go," she said to her friends.

Rachel walked up the stone stairs, thinking of all the things she hadn't done with Cinnamon. She was almost at the top when she saw something in the grass above the stairs. She walked to the thing slowly, hardly believing it was what she thought it was. She bent down when she got to it and picked it up. Were any body parts broken? Were the wings still there? When Rachel saw that nothing was hurt, she fell to the ground. "Cinnamon," she said, hugging the fairy tight. She stayed there for five minutes, just hugging Cinnamon. "Cinnamon, Cinnamon, Cinnamon," Rachel said over and over.

Rachel sat up, Cinnamon sitting in her palm. "I never thought I'd see you again," said the human. The fairy's hair was a bit dirty, but that was the only thing different about her. Rachel touched the small wings, the shawl, and the dress. She stroked Cinnamon's hair. She kissed Cinnamon on the top of the head. Cinnamon flew up to Rachel's forehead and planted a kiss. Rachel looked at the face she had thought she'd never see again. "I'm so glad you're here. I'm so glad you're alive," Rachel cried.

Then a thought occurred to Rachel. "How did you get out here?" she wondered.

Cinnamon jingled a response Rachel didn't understand.

Rachel thought, _Could it have been an animal that carried her out here? If it was, it's a miracle she wasn't eaten. Or maybe a human found the fort._ Rachel began to get worried. If a human had found the fort, the fairies were all in danger. She could imagine a human walking into the fort and picking up Cinnamon, then walking out. She imagined the human had gotten scared by something and dropped the fairy, who had stayed still. That could have been what happened, Rachel realized. And if the human knew there were more fairies – well, she doubted even Moss could stop a human from taking one of the fairies.

Rachel carried Cinnamon to the fort. "Fairies, you're in grave danger," the human said.

The fairies stopped what they had been doing and looked at Rachel.

"I think someone found the fort," Rachel said. "I don't know when, I don't know how, but I think someone did."

Moss jingled.

"It could have been while you were all asleep," Rachel said, figuring Moss must be asking how she didn't see anyone.

"Since you are in danger here," Rachel continued, "I'd like you all to come home."

The fairies' wings drooped, but they understood the danger. Mayah was especially aware of the danger. If a hostile human found them... She shuddered, thinking of Lulu.

Rachel walked to each fairy's bed, picking them each up. She looked around, making sure she hadn't forgot anyone, and saw Breeze. "Oh, Breeze!" Rachel said, picking up the fairy. Then she put them all in her purse.

As Rachel walked home, she thought about what she was doing. She knew the fairies would be sad. She wondered if she should just let them stay. "No," Rachel told herself. "I'm not making the same mistake again. If I did, I might find another one missing the next time I come."

Soon, they arrived at the house. Rachel quickly went to her room and opened her purse, letting each fairy fly out. She opened the cupboard.

As the fairies flew to their beds, Rachel told Sophie what had happened. "I think a human knows about the fort," she said. "I brought all the fairies home. Cinnamon was missing today."

As Ferni laid down in her bed, Rachel said, "I have a plan."

All the fairies had gotten to their beds. They listened as Rachel described the plan. "We're going to make a decoy and put it in the fort. If someone takes it, then you can't go back to the fort. But if nobody takes it, then we'll know there is no danger. But I'll need the help..." Rachel looked around the cupboard. "Of Ferni… and Tinkerberry."

Tinkerberry and Ferni jingled excitedly. Rachel smiled. She wasn't sure if building the decoy would be a tinker or an art fairy's job, but she was sure one of the two would be able to do it. She smiled and looked at Sophie. "Sophie, are you feeling better?"

Sophie nodded. While they'd been gone, she had begun to feel much better.

"Good," said Rachel. "We'll start soon." She took one last look at Cinnamon, happy to be able to see the fairy again. Then she closed the cupboard door. She could hear Tinkerberry and Ferni jingling to each other. They were planning.


	61. The Decoy

Rachel opened the cupboard door, holding a bunch of paper. "Tinkerberry, Ferni," she said. "It's time to make the decoy."

It was the day after all the fairies had come home. Tinkerberry and Ferni eagerly fluttered out. Rachel grabbed scissors and glue from her desk. Then she went back to the cupboard.

She closed the cupboard door, then looked at the two fairies standing on the floor.

"I have an idea," jingled Tinkerberry. She fluttered over to Rachel's desk and picked up a pencil. She had to wrap her arms around it, being that it was human-sized, and she carried it back to the cupboard. Then, she drew a circle on the paper. She pointed to the scissors, and Rachel cut out the circle.

Try as they might, they couldn't make a sphere with that circle. Tinkerberry jingled in a frustrated manner.

Then, Tinkerberry had another idea. She crumpled the circle into a ball and motioned for Rachel to cut out another circle. She crumpled that one, too, and pushed it onto the other.

Rachel understood. She glued the two balls together. Ferni looked at Rachel. "Cut strips," jingled Ferni, motioning at the paper. Rachel picked up the scissors and Ferni guided them in a straight line, making sure to keep her wings away from the scissors.

"Ah, strips!" Rachel cried. She cut a few more. Then they wrapped the strips around the ball and glued them on.

Ferni picked up a thin strip and began rolling it up. Suddenly, Rachel said, "Someone's coming!" She opened the cupboard door, and Ferni and Trinity brought the project inside. They had just enough time to shut the door before the door to Rachel's room burst open.

A little while later, Rachel opened the cupboard again. "All clear," she said. Tinkerberry and Ferni fluttered out, carrying the project. Ferni finished rolling the strip and glued it onto the front of the ball. It was easy to see now that the ball was going to be the head of the decoy.

Next, they made the body. They used two paper balls and glued them together, then put more strips around them. Rachel and Ferni were the only ones working now. Tinkerberry was bored, as this was more art than tinkering now.

They rolled up paper to make the legs, folding the bottom to make the foot. Then they made arms, cutting a piece and turning it to make the thumbs. They set it down to dry, and then Ferni folded a piece of paper and carefully drew the shape of wings. Rachel cut it out, and Ferni smiled. She set the pieces all together. They were perfect.

"Where's the hair?" Rachel wondered.

Ferni smiled. "We'll make that after we paint it," she jingled. Rachel didn't understand, but she didn't say anything more.

Ferni set the pieces on her bed. They took up the whole space.

"Where will you sleep?" wondered Rachel.

"Don't worry about me," Ferni replied. She sat down next to her bed.

"Are you sure you don't want to share a bed with another fairy?" asked Rachel, seeing that Ferni didn't have a place to sleep.

Ferni nodded. "I'll be fine," she jingled.

Tinkerberry flew back to her bed, and Rachel closed the cupboard door. They would paint the pieces after they dried.


	62. Painting The Decoy

The next day, Rachel opened the cupboard door and pulled out the decoy's parts. Ferni fluttered out as Rachel set the pieces on a scrap paper.

"It's dry and ready to paint!" Rachel cried.

Ferni jingled happily as Rachel opened her box of paints. She pulled out a paintbrush and a paint tray. Ferni grinned. She loved painting.

"The first thing we need to paint is the skin," Ferni jingled. She pulled a jar of yellow paint out of the box. She would have much rather used berry paint, but human paint would work well too.

Ferni poured some yellow paint into a spot in the tray, but since the jar was so heavy, she poured too much in.

"Sorry, fairy!" Rachel laughed. She picked up the red paint and poured it into the next spot. Ferni opened a jar of white paint and put a bit into the hole with the red paint, then mixed the two colors together. It was difficult, for she was using a human-sized paintbrush, but she managed just fine. She took some yellow and mixed it with the pink she'd made, then added more red. She kept adding yellow and red until it was the perfect shade of peach.

Then, Ferni began painting the decoy pieces. Rachel held them up as Fern painted them. Soon, the head was covered in a pretty peach color. Ferni continued and painted the body, then the arms. She finished with the legs, leaving the bottom of the feet unpainted so she could paint shoes on later. Then, she set the painted pieces onto the piece of scrap paper to dry.

Rachel smiled. "Are you done?"

Ferni nodded, and Rachel set the scrap paper in the cupboard. Ferni fluttered in, and Rachel shut the door.

* * *

In the afternoon, Rachel opened the door again. "Hey Ferni!" she called. "Is the paint dry?"

Ferni touched the decoy. She nodded.

Rachel pulled out the pieces. "Now we can add the features."

She gave a toothpick to Ferni. Ferni looked at Rachel, a questioning look on her face.

Rachel saw the look. "It's for you to add the small details on with," she explained.

Ferni smiled and nodded, understanding.

Rachel pulled out the tray and paintbrush. Ferni mixed red with white until she got the perfect shade of pink. She smiled and painted shoes on the feet. They looked like pink ballet flats.

Then, Ferni fluttered into the cupboard and pulled out a piece of paper. She jingled at Rachel.

"What?" asked the human.

Ferni flew over and grabbed the scissors. "I need to make a dress for the decoy."

Rachel didn't understand until Ferni wrapped the paper around the decoy's body. Then the human girl smiled. "A dress!"

Ferni smiled and nodded. As Rachel cut the paper to size, Ferni painted a white design on the decoy wings.

Rachel had finished cutting out the dress. Ferni wrapped it around the decoy body. It was the perfect size. It was a sleeveless dress that dipped down in the back to make room for where the wings would go.

Ferni unwrapped the dress. She painted both sides of it pink. Then Rachel got the glue. She glued the arms and legs to the body, then glued on the dress.

"Is this good?" she asked Ferni.

Ferni looked and nodded enthusiastically. Rachel set it down to dry, and Ferni picked up her toothpick.

"Now for the most important part," Ferni jingled. She opened the white can of paint and dipped the toothpick in. Then she painted two white ovals on the decoy's face. She wiped off the toothpick and took some green paint. Then she put a green dot inside of each white oval. She carefully wiped the toothpick off again and dipped it into the black paint. She put a small black dot in each green dot. Then she wiped off the toothpick and took another bit of white paint. She put the tiniest dot of white paint onto the black and green. Then she smiled. The eyes were perfect.

Indeed, the eyes looked real. When Ferni looked at them, it was almost like looking into the eyes of a friend.

"Back to work," Ferni told herself. She got some red paint on the toothpick and painted a smile onto the face of the decoy. Now this part was done.

Rachel looked at the face. "Wow, it looks so real!" she told Ferni.

Ferni smiled. She loved being an art fairy, but her favorite thing about it had to be seeing the reactions when someone else saw her art.

Rachel opened the cupboard and set the head inside carefully. Then she took the body, with arms, legs, and dress connected, and set it in the cupboard beside the head. Lastly, she put the wings in.

Ferni flew back into the cupboard, satisfied with their progress. Rachel shut the door, and then she went to clean off her supplies.


	63. Ferni is Proud

A day had passed, and Ferni saw the cupboard open. There was the big face of Rachel looking at her.

"Hi, Ferni!" Rachel called.

Ferni grinned and fluttered out. Rachel pulled out the decoy.

"Today we're making the hair," Ferni jingled. She traced a circle on a piece of paper with her finger. Then she pointed at the scissors.

Rachel understood the gestures. "Cut out a circle?" she asked.

Ferni nodded, and Rachel cut a small circle out of the paper.

Ferni picked up the circle and folded it around the head of the decoy.

"Oh, it's going to be the hair?" Rachel asked.

Ferni nodded. She pulled the black paint out of the box and dipped Rachel's paintbrush in. Then she painted the circle, which she'd moved away from the decoy head. Ferni used her foot to kick it up, and Rachel picked it up. She blew on it to dry it. It was soon dry, since Rachel could blow much harder than Ferni could.

Ferni painted the other side. When she was done, she gave it to Rachel, who blew on it again. This time, Ferni helped blow. It dried soon, and Ferni folded it around the decoy head again.

Rachel glued the hair to the head. Ferni had taken a thin strip of paper and crumpled it into a ball. Rachel, guessing what Ferni was doing, spread glue on it to keep it together. After Rachel blew on it for a bit, Ferni painted it black.

While the paint dried, Rachel held up a toothpick. "This can be the neck," she said. She tried to poke it through the body, but it wasn't sharp enough. Rachel went to get a pin and poked a hole where the neck would go. But the toothpick was too wide, and broke when Rachel tried pushing it through.

Rachel sighed. "Now what are we going to do?" she asked.

Ferni shrugged and pointed to the black ball. Rachel glued it on the hair of the decoy near the top of the head. It looked like a bun in the decoy's hair.

Rachel was now wondering about the neck. She suddenly had an idea. She rolled a strip of paper tightly and glued it together. She cut it to size. It looked like a good neck. There was only one problem: It was the wrong color.

"Ferni, do you think you could make the same color you made for the decoy's skin?" asked Rachel.

Ferni nodded. She was an art fairy, of course she could! She squinted hard at the decoy's skin. _Hmm._ _It needs yellow, red, and white,_ she thought.

Ferni used the human's paintbrush to scoop paint out of the pots and mix it together in the tray. She washed the paintbrush off before scooping each different color. _Just a little more yellow, now a bit more white,_ she thought. Soon, the color was identical to the one she'd made a few days earlier.

"Wow!" Rachel cried. "It's perfect!"

Ferni's cheeks turned pink. She was proud of her talent. Then she got to work. She painted the neck piece the peach color she'd made, and then let it dry. When it dried, Rachel glued it between the body and the head of the decoy. It was a bit wobbly, so Rachel laid the decoy down to let the glue dry. Ferni pulled the decoy back into the cupboard. She could barely believe they were finally so close to finishing.

* * *

The next day, the glue had dried. The neck was attached well, and wasn't wobbly anymore. When Rachel opened the cupboard, Ferni fluttered out happily. Rachel pulled out the decoy.

"Now for the most important part, the wings," Rachel declared. She picked up the paper wings that Ferni had painted a lovely pattern on. She put glue on the decoy's back and pressed the wings onto the glue. It was beautiful.

Rachel gazed at the decoy. "It looks almost exactly like a real fairy," she said.

Ferni jingled happily. She was so proud of her project.

"Good work, Ferni," Rachel said. She set the decoy back in the cupboard to let the glue dry, and Ferni flew back in too, so happy it had turned out so well.


	64. The Trap is Set

It had been almost two weeks, and Ferni was beginning to wonder where Rachel was. Earlier in the week, Sophie had turned on the flashlight to get a good look at the decoy. She had decided it needed a glow to make it look more authentic, so she had taken balls of light from the flashlight and had put them on the decoy.

Ferni frowned again. What was taking Rachel so long? Suddenly, the human girl opened the cupboard.

"Hi, fairies!" she cried.

The fairies jingled a greeting.

"Today is the day," she said. "I need Ferni and Tinkerberry." The two fairies fluttered out of the cupboard, very happy. Rachel reached in and pulled out the decoy. Then she put the decoy and the two fairies into her purse.

A while later, they arrived at the fort. Rachel opened her purse, and the fairies flew out, Tinkerberry carrying the decoy. The little tinker was shocked at the state of the fort. As there had been no fairies there to keep it up, the fort was full of spiderwebs. The door was laying on the ground, and it looked very run-down.

Rachel looked up. Outside of the fence a little ways away, there were some people talking. She hoped they wouldn't see her and the fairies. There was a tree and some tall grass obscuring the view, but there was a chance they might be able to see through.

"Wow!" jingled Ferni. "This place is great!"

Tinkerberry looked at her, confused. Then she remembered that Ferni hadn't seen the place before. "It looked better a few weeks ago," she replied. "Now, where are we going to put the decoy?"

Ferni shrugged.

Tinkerberry smiled. "I know," she said. "We can put it where Cinnamon's bed was."

"Good thinking," said the art fairy. "Where was Cinnamon's bed?"

Tinkerberry pointed at the little space near the chain-link fence. She fluttered down to it.

"There's too many spiderwebs!" cried Ferni.

The space where Cinnamon had slept was full of spiderwebs. It wouldn't work.

"We can use Sophie's spot, then," suggested Tinkerberry. Ferni followed her over to the spot Sophie had slept on. There were no spiderwebs there. Tinkerberry laid the decoy down. They fluttered away from the spot.

"Wait!" cried Ferni. "We can't let it blow away."

Trinity nodded. "But how will we keep it from blowing away?" she wondered. Then she snapped her fingers. "Of course! A rock!"

Tinkerberry flew around the fort, looking for a rock. She found a small piece of brick stuck in the ground. With a bit of help from Ferni, she pulled the piece out of the ground. The fairies put the piece of brick on top of the decoy. Then they flew up a bit, looking down at the decoy. It looked like a real fairy, its green eyes staring up at the two fairies. Its wings were white instead of clear, but Ferni was pretty sure whatever human that had been there before wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Its skin was peach-colored and its hair, in a bun, was black. It wore a pink dress without sleeves, and it glowed slightly, Sophie's doing. Ferni was so proud of her work in that moment. She hoped that it would still be there when they returned.

Tinkerberry had fluttered over to her bed and sat down on the leaf. She smiled. It was good to be back, even if they would have to go back to Rachel's house soon. Ferni fluttered over to a higher spot on the rock wall. She took a stick and brushed away the spiderwebs, then laid down on the flat spot, which was covered in moss.

"I want this to be my bed," said Ferni, "if we'll be able to stay here."

Tinkerberry sighed. "I hope all goes well, and nothing happens to the decoy," she said.

They stayed there for a while longer, until Rachel said, "Let's go home."

The fairies jingled and flew to Rachel's pocket. Ferni took one last look at her decoy. Would this be the last time she would see it?

They arrived back at Rachel's house a while later. The girl opened the cupboard and let the fairies fly in. "We'll go back to the Farm tomorrow or the next day," she told the fairies. Then she shut the door, and it was dark again.


	65. Found!

Three days later, Ferni awoke to the sound of the cupboard door opening. She smiled when she opened her eyes. There was Rachel!

"We're going to the Farm," she said. She picked up Ferni and put the fairy in her purse. She zipped it shut, and it was dark.

Ferni looked around. She didn't see any colors, as it was totally dark, but she admired the color of the blackness. Soon, she was bored, and decided to go to sleep, as there wasn't anything else to do.

* * *

It was about an hour later. Rachel was nearing the fort. She suddenly went behind a bush, as she saw some people walking. Then she gasped. Through the fence, she noticed someone close to the fort! She waited until the walking people were out of sight, then went around the other way to the fort.

She went down the stone steps to the fort. The person she'd seen before was right on the other side of the chain-link fence, cutting grass. She hoped the decoy was still in the fort. But as she walked in, her mouth fell open in horror. There was a long wooden ladder poking through the fort, and the padlock holding the gate closed had been unlocked, the chain hanging down uselessly. She looked down where they had put the decoy three days earlier. Miraculously, it had not been touched. It was still laying there, staring upwards with its lifelike eyes. She frowned. The fort had been found, and the fairies wouldn't be able to return. It was much too dangerous. She looked at the decoy again. She thought about picking it up and bringing it back home, but then realized something. If she picked it up and put it in her purse, the person cutting grass might be able to see Ferni inside. She walked away from the fort in shock. Now where would the fairies live? She thought about all the possible places on the Farm as she walked home.

* * *

Ferni woke up to the sound of a zipper. "Finally!" she jingled, fluttering out of the purse. When she saw where they were, her wings drooped. "We're back home?" she jingled unhappily.

"I'm sorry, Ferni, that you didn't get to go to the fort," said Rachel. "But there was someone there." She opened the cupboard door. "It isn't safe to go back to the fort," Rachel told everyone.

A chorus of jingles ensued. Rachel told them what had happened. "Someone knows about it, and what's more, they might come back again," she finished.

She shuddered as she thought about what could have happened had they gone just a day earlier. They would have assumed it was not dangerous, and a fairy would have stayed overnight. The next day, the fairy would have been found, and then…

Rachel's thoughts were interrupted by Ferni jingling. "Did you get the decoy?" jingled the art fairy. But Rachel obviously didn't understand. Ferni fluttered her wings and pointed at the piece of paper Rachel was taking out of the cupboard. Rachel tilted her head, confused. "What are you trying to tell me?"

Ferni flew into the cupboard. "Frostie Jewel, I need your help!" she jingled.

Frostie Jewel got out of her bed. "What do you need me for?" she jingled back.

"Ask Rachel if she got the decoy," Ferni replied.

Frostie Jewel fluttered out of the cupboard and asked with her very high voice, "Did you get the paper fairy?"

Rachel had understood that. "The paper fairy?" she said. _Oh, the decoy_ , she thought. She turned to Ferni.

"No," she said. "I'm sorry. It was too dangerous. The person could have seen it – or you."

Ferni's wings drooped.

"It was still there though," Rachel told her. "I'll go back and get it another time when nobody is there." Then she looked at all the fairies. "Fairies," Rachel said, "it is not safe for you to go back to the fort."

All the fairies groaned, which Rachel heard as jingles. They were thinking of their nice beds they'd had in the fort.

"Don't worry," Rachel said firmly. "I know you don't have a home there anymore. But we will search the Farm to find you all a new home. I promise you, you will have a home."


	66. A Search for a New Home

Two days later, Rachel opened the cupboard door. The fairies jingled their greetings, and then Rachel said, "Today we're going to find a new home. I need Mayah, Tinkerberry, and Ferni."

Mayah fluttered out of her bed and flew to the shelf. She pulled a rose petal out, then shimmied out of her pink cloth dress Rachel had made her. She wrapped the rose petal around herself and tied a green stem around her waist. Then she fluttered over to Tinkerberry and Ferni. Rachel picked them up and put them in her purse.

A little while later, Rachel arrived at the fort. She sighed sadly. It was such a beautiful place. What a shame the fairies wouldn't be able to live in it anymore. She looked down to where the decoy had been set, then gasped. It was gone!

"Oh, no," Rachel said. "It's not there! What will I tell Ferni?" She bent down and searched a bit, but it was not there. She frowned. "We did so much work on it."

Rachel unzipped the purse. "The paper fairy, it's gone, Ferni," she said. Ferni jingled. "I'm sorry," said Rachel. "Someone must have taken it." Then she zipped the purse shut again.

Rachel walked around the fort. She could imagine each fairy sitting in the spots that had once belonged to them. She noticed sadly that Tinkerberry's bed was broken, and the leaf cover was all brown and shriveled up. The ladder wasn't in the fort anymore, Rachel noticed, but she could see the damage it had caused. Whoever had pulled out the ladder had broken Tinkerberry's bed, and also had broken a hole through the plastic roof. Rachel walked slowly out of the fort, noticing that the gate was padlocked again. She walked up the stone stairs, looking over where Moss's place had been and imagining the little scout fairy standing there, protecting the fort. It wouldn't be that way again, she realized. The fort wasn't theirs to live in anymore.

Suddenly, up the hill, Rachel saw a tomato plant! She unzipped her purse and pulled out Mayah. "I know it isn't very safe for you to be out of the purse," she said, "but I saw something you would like."

Mayah looked at the tomato plant and grinned hard. She flew up to it, Rachel following. Mayah placed her hands on a tomato and made it ripen. Then she flew over to a green one and ripened it too. Rachel looked around for a place, but she didn't find a good spot.

"Okay, Mayah, you need to get back inside of the purse," Rachel said. Mayah groaned but fluttered over and went into Rachel's purse.

"Hmm, maybe behind the gym will be a good place," Rachel wondered out loud. She walked to the gym and looked behind. "Those weren't there last time I was here," she said with dismay as she noticed some new things. It wouldn't be a good place there.

Rachel was beginning to lose hope. Would they ever find a place? She decided to try one more spot. She walked down to the tool shed and saw a place with tall grass. Behind the grass was lower ground, and it was partly hidden by the grass. Rachel walked down. Would this be the place? She looked around. Behind a chain-link fence, she saw a rushing river. Dewdrop would like that. There were pieces of bricks in a pile, and she was sure Tinkerberry would like that. There were lots of bamboo sticks and little spots for the fairies to live in, and Rachel smiled. It was beautiful, and perfect! She opened her purse, and the three fairies fluttered out.

"Wow!" Mayah jingled. "This is flitteriffic!"

"Look at all the materials I could use to make something!" Trinity pointed out.

"It's beautiful," Ferni smiled.

Rachel smiled as she heard the fairies' merry jingling. She hoped it would work out. "It's perfect," she said.

Mayah flew over to Rachel and pointed up the hill, jingling. Rachel looked where she was pointing. There was a banana tree! "Bananas!" Rachel cried with delight. "This place really is perfect!"

Tinkerberry fluttered over to the pile of broken bricks. Rachel, suddenly wary, called her back. "It's so perfect, too perfect," Rachel told the fairies. "There has to be a catch. Stay where I can see you. Someone must know about this place."

The fairies nodded their agreement. Rachel then decided, "Tinkerberry, Mayah, you should stay in my purse. Ferni, can you build a decoy out of the materials here?"

Tinkerberry and Mayah flew back to Rachel's purse. Ferni looked around. It didn't have the ideal materials for making a decoy, but she was sure she could do something. She nodded.

"Great!" said Rachel.

Ferni flew down to the ground and picked up a dry leaf, which was a tan color. She rolled it up and put a piece of dried grass through the leaf. Now she had a neck and head. But it fell apart. Ferni was a bit discouraged, but suddenly had another idea when her eyes fell on a brown leaf. She set it down on the patch of dead leaves and grass, then rolled up another tan-colored dry leaf and put it on the brown leaf. There. A head with hair. She took a piece of dried grass and poked it into the ground, laying the other end under the head. Now it had a body. She wrapped a green leaf around the dried grass, then took two pieces of a plastic bag and put them under the piece of dried grass. It looked sort of like a fairy now if you squinted. She tore two circles out of a green leaf and put them on the head for eyes, but they fell. Ferni was smiling.

"All done," she jingled.

"Finished?" wondered Rachel.

Ferni nodded.

"Great work," the human said. She put Ferni into her purse and climbed up the hill. She hoped beyond hope that the place would work out.

Soon, Rachel was back in her room. She opened the purse, and the fairies flew out. They fluttered in the air together, and Rachel couldn't help but notice that Ferni was about a head shorter than May and Trinity.

"You're such a short little fairy," she said to Ferni.

Ferni frowned, looking embarrassed.

"Oh, sorry!" Rachel exclaimed. "I wasn't meaning to be rude."

Ferni brightened up. Rachel smiled. "Good work, fairies," she told the three.

Rachel opened the cupboard door. "Hi, girls," she said to the fairies inside. As Mayah, Ferni, and Tinkerberry flew to their beds, Rachel told the other fairies, "I think we found a place." They cheered, which Rachel heard as jingles. "You three did an awesome job," she told Mayah, Trinity, and Ferni. They all grinned, and Rachel shut the door.


	67. New Furry Friend

A few weeks later, Cassy was laying in her bed in the cupboard with her friends. None of the fairies had gone back to the Farm yet, as it had been raining a lot for the past few weeks.

Suddenly, Rachel opened the door! The fairies all jingled happily, and Rachel said, "Cassy, I want you to meet someone."

Cassy, excited, flew out of the cupboard. Rachel put her in her pocket, and Cassy could feel Rachel walking. Then, Rachel pulled her out, and Cassy could see that they were on the rooftop terrace. It was sprinkling, but they were under the plastic covering.

Then, Cassy saw Bailey! Bailey wagged her tail, and Cassy flew over to her. "Oh, you are such a sweet girl," she jingled.

Bailey gave her a lick on the face, and Cassy giggled. "How has it been?"

The dog licked Cassy even more, and then Cassy pet her on the nose. Bailey looked very happy.

"It's been great!" Bailey barked.

"Hey, Cassy," Rachel said. "Come on, you have to meet her!"

Cassy jingled, "Bailey, I'm going to go meet someone. See you later!"

The fairy flew over to Rachel and went into her pocket. When she came out, they were in a little room with a window covered with a sign. By the window, there was a small cage. And in that cage, there was a cute little bunny! Cassy squealed and flew over to the cage.

The bunny had black fur, little brown eyes, and a twitching nose. Cassy fluttered her wings and stuck her hands through the bars of the cage. The bunny wiggled its nose and came closer.

"Hi, bunny!" jingled Cassy. "What's your name?"

The bunny's nose twitched. "They call me Coffee."

"Coffee, huh?" Cassy said. "That's such a cute name!"

Rachel told Cassy, "I'm sorry, but you can't go in there with her. I'm not allowed to open the cage."

"That's okay," jingled Cassy, even though she knew Rachel wouldn't understand her. Cassy then turned back to the bunny.

"So, how long have you been here?" asked the fairy.

"Five days," the bunny replied.

Both Cassy and Coffee were speaking in the bunny language, though when Cassy spoke, it sounded like jingles to Rachel. The bunny language was a quiet one, relying mostly on facial expressions and nose twitching.

"What's your name?" Coffee asked.

"My name is Cassy, Carrie for short. I'm an animal fairy!" replied Cassy.

Coffee's nose twitched. "You're really nice."

"Why, thank you!" Cassy replied.

Cassy petted Coffee's whiskers through the bars. Just then, she heard a whimper and a scratch at the door.

"Aw, Bailey wants to see her friend," Rachel said. "Say bye to Coffee now, Cassy."

"Bye, Coffee!" jingled Cassy. "I hope to see you again soon."

Then, Rachel opened the door, and Cassy flew out. Rachel walked out after her and closed the door. They were on the rooftop terrace again. It was raining harder now, and Cassy was glad for the plastic covering.

"Cassy!" Bailey barked. "I want to play!"

Cassy jingled and flew around the dog. Then she went to sit on top of an empty jug of water while Rachel filled up Bailey's water bowl, which was empty. Bailey jumped up to try and play with Cassy, and knocked her off! Cassy laughed and flew around the dog again.

Rachel finished filling the water bowl and set it on the ground. Cassy picked up one of Bailey's toys and held it up. But Bailey jumped up, and when she went back down, she stepped right in her water bowl, spilling it!

"Aww, poor Bailey," said Rachel.

Cassy flew over to Bailey and jingled, "Sit."

Bailey sat.

"Good girl!" Cassy jingled.

Rachel laughed. "I'm guessing you told her to sit!"

Cassy nodded. She played with Bailey for a little while longer, then flew back to Rachel. She gave Bailey a kiss on the nose, and then flew into Rachel's pocket.

When Cassy flew out of Rachel's pocket, they were in Rachel's room near the cupboard. Rachel opened the door, and immediately saw a spider crawling down from the ceiling! It was very near Frostie Jewel's head. The snowflake fairy saw it and screamed. She flew out of her bed and sat near Mayah's. The spider dropped into Frostie Jewel's bed. Cassy flew over to it and jingled, "Stay there and don't come out here."

Rachel picked up the bed and told the fairies, "I'm going to get rid of it." She told Cassy, "I won't kill it." Cassy jingled, relieved, and watched as Rachel shut the door. She could hear the bedroom door opening and Rachel talking with her parents.

Frostie Jewel was shaking. "I'm so glad you opened the door when you did, Carrie," said the winter fairy. "If you would have opened it just a little bit later, that spider would have dropped into my bed while I was still in it!"

"That's alright, Frostie Jewel," Cassy said. "I'm just glad Rachel isn't going to hurt it."

Frostie Jewel smiled. "Typical animal fairy. Sometimes I wish I was back in the Winter Woods where there are no bugs!"

Cassy laughed. "I'm glad there are bugs here."

"You're the only one!" Melon cried.

Then Cassy said, "There's a new animal living here. It's a cute little black bunny, and her name is Coffee!"

Tinkerberry smiled. "Bunnies are so cute. But I would rather not be too close!"

Cassy grinned. "You should see Bailey," she said. "She's gotten so big!"

Mayah frowned. "I really don't like big animals," she said.

"Or little animals," Cassy told her, remembering the time with the kitten on the trampoline.

"Is Bailey as big as Gruff?" wondered Sophie.

Cassy shrugged. "Since I've never seen Gruff, I'm not sure, but from what Fawn has told me about him, I think so."

Just then, the door opened, and it was very bright. Rachel was there, holding Frostie Jewel's bed. "The spider is gone," the girl told the fairy.

Frostie Jewel was so relieved that she flew out of the cupboard and hugged Rachel. Rachel put her hands around the little fairy as Frostie Jewel jingled, "Thank you."

Rachel set the bed back where it belonged, and Frostie Jewel laid down in it, glad the spider was gone. Then Rachel closed the cupboard. She could hear the fairies jingling for quite a while after she'd shut the door.


	68. Trip to Pixie Hollow

It was evening, and the fairies were getting ready to go to sleep in their cupboard. Just then, the door swung open.

"Rachel?" Mayah jingled.

Rachel smiled, then frowned. "I have some bad news," she said.

All the fairies turned to look at her.

"I don't think making a home in the Farm is a good idea," she continued.

The fairies gasped.

"I'm sorry," Rachel said. "I know you really want to have a home there. But I just feel like it isn't a good idea for you to stay there overnight."

The fairies jingled sadly.

"But we can make a place for you to stay in the daytime," Rachel replied. "We can make a little pond for you, Dewdrop, and plant some flowers for Mayah and Melon, and Tinkerberry can build a workshop, and we can have a nice place for you to lay in the sun, Sophie, and Cassy can have a place for animals, and we can make a cool place for Elsie and Frostie Jewel to frost plants and make snowflakes, and we can make a kitchen for you, Cinnamon, and have a pixie dust tree for you, Shimmer, and a good place to scout for Moss, and a studio for Ferni..."

The fairies were smiling. This sounded like a wonderful place!

"But I want you to come home with me each time I come home," Rachel said. "I just… I don't want you to get lost or taken by someone." She picked up Cinnamon and stroked her hair. "I don't want to have to go through the pain of losing one of you again, like when I thought you were gone forever, Cinnamon," she said. "And I don't want you to get hurt or sick like Sophie. I just couldn't bear to know that it was my fault one of you got lost or taken."

The fairies nodded, understanding. Mayah was smiling, but everyone else had a sober look on their faces. Mayah thought back to when her wings had been pulled off, and when she had been near death. It was a good thing she had lived, or Rachel really would have been heartbroken, she realized now.

"I'm so sorry," Rachel said. "I know you want to be able to stay overnight in your new home. But I just want you to be safe."

Cinnamon flew closer to Rachel and held out her arms. Rachel hugged her, and they continued hugging for a few minutes. Then they stopped, and Cinnamon touched Rachel's chin. "It's alright," the kitchen fairy jingled. "We understand. We aren't angry."

Rachel, though she didn't understand the words, could see that Cinnamon was comforting her. "Thank you, Cinnamon," she whispered.

Cinnamon smiled and jingled. Then she flew back to her bed.

Rachel decided to turn on the flashlight to give Sophia some more light. When she did, she noticed a few spiderwebs on the ceiling. She pointed the flashlight at the ceiling and was horrified by what she saw. There, hanging on a thread of the spiderweb, was another spider!

Rachel quickly grabbed a piece of toiletpaper and pulled the spider off. She saw that it wasn't struggling, and realized that it was dead. She threw it away and got rid of the rest of the spiderwebs.

Cassy was alarmed, and she flew out of the cupboard, jingling madly.

"Don't worry, Cassy, it was already dead," Rachel reassured her.

Cassy, relieved, flew back to her bed.

"Well, fairies, I have to go to bed," Rachel said. "I'm sorry about my news."

The fairies jingled, and then Rachel shut the door to their cupboard. The fairies, after a few minutes of talking, went to sleep.

* * *

Two days later, Cassy had a good idea. It was early evening, and the sun was just beginning to set outside. "We should visit Pixie Hollow," suggested Cassy.

Mayah was grinning. "Great idea, Cassy!" she cried. "I haven't been back for a while."

Tinkerberry nodded. "It's definitely been quite some time. The other fairies must be worried about us!"

Cassy pushed open the cupboard door and looked around the room. There was Rachel, not paying attention to the cupboard. She was reading something. Cassy smiled. Then her smile disappeared. The door to Rachel's room was shut.

"Girls, we can't get out!" she called. "The door is shut!"

Sophie looked at her. "Try to find another way."

"What other way?" asked Cassy, confused.

Sophie flew out of the cupboard. She was joined by Dewdrop, Tinkerberry, and Mayah.

"Search the room," Mayah said. She called for Moss to come out, and told her their predicament. Moss agreed to search for a way out, using her sharp eyes. She soon found a window that opened to another room in the house. The fairies were relieved to see that it was open.

"Come on, girls!" cried Cassy.

Melon, Breeze, Elsie, Shimmer, Cinnamon, Ferni, and Frostie Jewel flew out of the cupboard. Then, all thirteen of the fairies who lived in Rachel's house flew out the window. They looked around. They seemed to be in a laundry room, as there was a clothesline full of clothes hanging above their heads. Moss looked around, and she quickly spotted stairs in another room. She told Cassy, and Cassy said, "That's the way to get to the terrace." The fairies followed Cassy up the stairs, and they found themselves on another floor.

Cassy looked down to the floor and saw Bailey standing there. The other fairies flew upwards so they would be out of the dog's reach, but Cassy flew down and patted the dog on the nose.

"How's it going?" asked Cassy.

Bailey barked, "It's going great! What are those sparkly big bugs up there?"

Cassy smiled. "They aren't bugs, they are my friends," she explained. "They are fairies, like me, but they are scared of you."

"Why?" Bailey barked.

Cassy said, "They aren't animal fairies, and big animals scare them."

"I'm not big!" barked the dog.

Cassy laughed. "You are bigger than you think," she said. "Besides, we are very small, and you are very big to us."

"Oh," Bailey barked. "Where are you going?"

"We're going to Pixie Hollow," Cassy said.

"Where's that?" the dog barked. "Is it on a walk?"

Cassy shook her head. "You have to fly to get there. You wouldn't be able to go, Bailey, since you can't fly. And besides, it wouldn't be a good idea for a dog to be in Pixie Hollow."

Bailey looked sad. "Okay," she whined. "Bye, Cassy friend!"

"Bye, Bailey!" Cassy said. Then she fluttered up to the other fairies.

"Could you have taken any longer?" Breeze said sarcastically.

Cassy frowned. "I was talking to Bailey! Why are you in such a rush?"

"I'm a fast-flying fairy," said Breeze.

"Well, let's get going, then!" Tinkerberry cried.

The fairies flew up a second flight of stairs and flew out an open door. Sophie saw the sunset, as they were now on the terrace, and smiled. As the sun went down, Sophie grabbed the last light of day and carried it to Never Land.

When the fairies arrived in Pixie Hollow, they saw that it was daytime there. Sophie scratched her head. Since Never Land traveled around the ocean and was not in the same place all the time, sometimes time was a little funny there. It could be daytime in Never Land, while on the mainland, it was the middle of the night. If Never Land was floating around the ocean particularly fast, there was even a chance that they could spend a day on Never Land, and, when they returned to the mainland, only a few hours would have passed there. Sophie guessed that this was because Never Land was crossing different time zones.

The fairies each went their separate ways once they were in Pixie Hollow. Mayah flew over to her house in the Flower Garden. She found, to her delight, that it was just as she had left it.

Melon flew to the Flower Garden too. She began talking to Olwen, who had been growing some plants.

"Melon? Is that you?" asked Olwen. "I haven't seen you for so long! What's going on?"

Melon smiled and began telling Olwen all about the fort they had lived in for a short while.

Tinkerberry flew to her house near Tinker's Nook. She was very happy to see that, aside from a bit of dust, her house looked the same as the last time she had seen it.

Sophie flew to Sunflower Meadow and into her house. She opened her closet and changed into one of her favorite dresses.

Cassy flew into the Autumn Forest and found her house. She smiled as she flew in and saw it just as she had left it.

Dewdrop flew to Lilypad Pond and found a certain water lily. She flew in and smiled. This was her house, and it was exactly as it had been the last time she'd been there.

Breeze zipped around Pixie Hollow, very happy to be home. She fluttered around, searching for some other fast-flying fairies.

Elsie flew into the Winter Woods. She looked around for her friends. Soon, she saw Gliss. Gliss squealed when she saw Elsie and flew over.

"It's been too long!" cried Gliss. She took Elsie's hand and pulled her to the Frost Forest. As Elsie happily breathed in the cold air, Gliss sat down on a leaf, frosting it. "So. Tell me what you've been up to!"

Shimmer flew to the Dust Distribution Depot. She said hello to all the dust-keepers, then covered herself in pixie dust.

Moss flew over to Pinecone Valley where scouts were watching for hawks. She found an empty pinecone and flew into it. She waved to the other scouts, who smiled when they saw their friend.

Cinnamon flew to the Home Tree, itching to do some baking. She flew to the kitchen and was greeted warmly by Dulcie.

"Wow, I haven't seen you for so long!" Dulcie cried. She pulled a pan of muffins out of the oven. "What have you been cooking?"

Cinnamon smiled. "I've been cooking a few things with berries," she replied.

Ferni flew to the Fall Forest and began to paint leaves. She smiled when she saw her friends.

Frostie Jewel flew to the Winter Woods. She smiled as she felt the cool air. Since she was born in the Pixie Dust Tree, she didn't feel uncomfortable in the warmer areas, but she preferred the cold more than any other temperature.

After Mayah had finished changing into one of her outfits she had left in Pixie Hollow, she flew out of her house. She saw Rosetta and fluttered over to her.

Rosetta gave Mayah a big hug. "May! I've missed you!" she cried. "What's happening on the mainland?"

Mayah was smiling brightly. "Well, we were living in a fort outside," she said. "But someone found it, so we had to leave so we weren't in danger."

"Oh, my," Rosetta said. "Well, that's too bad."

Mayah nodded. "I know," she said. "But we're planning on building a new place where we can stay. Rachel is worried something might happen to us, though, so we will have to go back to her house whenever she leaves."

"Oh," Rosetta said. "Well, whenever we deliver Autumn, I might come visit you if I get to go to that group."

"Okay," Mayah said cheerily. "I'll be looking for you!"

Melon, meanwhile, was talking with Olwen. "So, are you going to come to the Autumn Revelry?" asked Olwen.

Melon smiled. "I'll try to be there," she replied. "What are the garden fairies doing this year?"

Olwen smiled. "We found some flower seeds from the mainland, and we're trying to see if they grow. They're said to be really pretty."

Melon fluttered her wings. "Ooh, sounds beautiful!" she cried.

At the same time, Tinkerberry was coming out of her house. She was wearing one of her dresses that she kept in Pixie Hollow. She found Chipper and smiled.

"Trinity?" Chipper asked. "It's been so long! How have things been going?"

Tinkerberry smiled and began to tell Chipper about building the beds in the fort. When she finished, Chipper asked, "Do you want to make some acorn pots with me?"

Trinity was delighted. "Of course!" she cried. Chipper and Tinkerberry flew down to a worktable in Tinker's Nook, and they started to work.

While that was happening, Sophia flew out of her house. She found Iridessa sunbathing on a flower. When Iridessa saw Sophie, she sat straight up.

"Sophie! Where have you been?" Iridessa cried. "I missed you!"

Sophie smiled. "Well, I've been having bad luck," she said. She told Iridessa about the fort, about finding out her bed was full of ants, and about getting lost. Then she told Iridessa about being sick for a few days, and then about the fairies not being able to live in the fort anymore.

When Sophie had finished, Iridessa put her arm around Sophia. "It's okay," Iridessa said. "I've had bad luck too before."

Dewdrop was in her house, changing into a beautiful blue dress she had in her closet. She was still sad about losing her dress she always wore on the mainland the year before, but seeing all her clothes she had in Pixie Hollow cheered her up. When she had finished changing, she flew out to Lilypad Pond.

"Dewdrop!" cried a voice. It was Cera. "I've missed you!"

Dewdrop smiled and flew over to Cera. "I've missed you too, Cera," she said. Then she smiled. "It's good to be back home."

Cera nodded. "Are you going to be at the Autumn Revelry?"

Dewdrop shrugged. "I don't know. I'll try to be there!"

Cera smiled. "I heard the animal fairies are having an orchestra of some kind. It's just a rumor, but I'm excited!"

Dewdrop smiled. "They did an orchestra a few years ago, as I remember. That was fun to watch. I hope they do it again!"

Cera grinned. "I agree. Should we go to Havendish Stream? I think Hydrangea may need some help over there."

Dewdrop nodded, and they flew over. On their way, they passed the Dust Distribution Depot, and Dewdrop waved at Shimmer, who was putting bags of pixie dust into their place.

Soon, Cera and Dewdrop reached Havendish Stream. Hydrangea was there, catching water drops that other water fairies were throwing down to her. She called Cera and Dewdrop over, and they joined her.

Meanwhile, Cassy had just flown out of her house wearing a pretty orange dress. She saw Nollie and Fawn, and they flew over to her quickly.

"Carrie!" Nollie cried. "I haven't seen you for quite some time!"

Fawn nodded. "How's that dog getting along? What did you say her name was?"

"Bailey is her name," Cassy replied. "And she's gotten a lot bigger! She's doing great."

"I'd like to meet her sometime," Nollie said.

Fawn agreed, "I would too!"

Carrie smiled. "There's also another animal that lives at Rachel's house right now."

"What kind of animal?" Fawn eagerly wondered.

Nollie grinned. "Is it big or small?"

"It's a baby rabbit," Cassy replied. "She's very small, and her name is Coffee!"

Fawn and Nollie said, "Oh, she sounds adorable!"  
"What color is her fur, Carrie?" wondered Nollie.

"She's a black bunny," Cassy replied.

* * *

The fairies talked to their friends and had fun for quite a while. But soon, Sophie noticed that the sun was beginning to set.

"Oh, dear," she said. "I'll see you later, Luminaria and Iridessa!"

She fluttered around Pixie Hollow, looking for the friends she had come to Pixie Hollow with. She found Cassy talking to a squirrel in the Autumn Forest.

"Cassy, we should get going. It's getting late," the light fairy said.

"Aw, okay," Cassy said. "Bye, Fawn!"

Fawn, who was a little ways away, called, "Bye, Carrie!" back.

Cassy and Sophie began gathering the rest of the fairies from the mainland. When Sophia entered the Home Tree kitchen to find Cinnamon, she was in for a treat. Cinnamon had just baked several muffins, and she offered one to the light fairy. Sophie happily ate it, and soon she was full. Dulcie suggested that Cinnamon take one muffin for each of the fairies going back to the mainland, and Cinnamon did just that.

Cassy, Cinnamon, Melon, Mayah, Tinkerberry, Moss, Dewdrop, Breeze, and Ferni gathered near the Pixie Dust Tree. Sophie went to go get the winter fairies. She fluttered to the border between Autumn and Winter, then waited on the warm side for a frost fairy to frost her wings.

Periwinkle flew by after a bit. She noticed Sophie fluttering by the border and stopped.

"Would you like me to frost your wings?" asked Periwinkle.

Sophie nodded.

Periwinkle began frosting the light fairy's wings. "I talked to Elsie for a bit," Peri said. "I don't think I would like to live where you do. It sounds too hot!"

Sophie smiled. "It gets pretty hot sometimes. I do think sometimes it's a bit much for Elsie. Hopefully the cold air in the Winter Woods did her some good."

Periwinkle smiled. "Your wings are frosted," she said. Sophie thanked her and flew into the Winter Woods. The intense cold instantly made Sophie shiver, and she could feel it down to her bones. She realized she probably should have put on a warmer outfit, but it was too late now. She flew quickly to the Frost Forest, where she saw Elsie frosting some leaves.

"Elsie!" called Sophie.

Elsie looked over at Sophie. The frost fairy touched a fern with her toe and frosted it. "Is it time to go?"

Sophie nodded. "I still have to find Frostie Jewel."

Elsie flew out of the Frost Forest, carrying a frosted leaf. She wrapped it around Sophie's shoulders. "I'll get her. You look cold. You aren't dressed for the Winter Woods."

Sophie smiled. "Thank you, Elsie!" She flew to the border as fast as she could. When she crossed, she relaxed and dropped the frosted leaf into the river. Then she rubbed the frost off her wings.

Elsie searched the Winter Woods for a bit until she saw Frostie Jewel sitting on a tree branch throwing snowflakes. The snowflake fairy was talking with the other fairies of her talent.

"Frostie Jewel, we need to go home," Elsie said.

Frostie Jewel looked at Elsie. "Okay," she said. She took one last scoop of snow and crafted it into a snowflake. Then she threw it at Qana, who caught it. "Fly with you later, Frostie Jewel!" Qana called.

Sophie had returned to the group near the Pixie Dust Tree. They were all wearing the clothes they'd had on when they came. Sophie flew to her house quickly and changed back into her yellow leaf dress. Then she flew back to the group. By that time, Elsie and Frostie Jewel had come. Elsie's wings were freshly frosted, as Spike had frosted them before Elsie had left the Winter Woods.

"Is everyone here?" asked Sophie.

Breeze nodded, but Moss shook her head. "We're missing my sister."

"Let's all go to the Dust Distribution Depot," Breeze suggested.

Moss shook her head. "That won't be necessary," she said. She made her wings sparkle.

In the depot, Shimmer was turning a contraption that pixie dust ran through. Her wings began to sparkle, and she called for another fairy to do her job. She fluttered to the door, then stopped. She realized that her friends would need dust. Shimmer took a few bags of dust, then called, "Fly with you later, Terence!"

"Fly with you later!" called Terence and a few other dust-keepers.

"Come back soon," Fairy Gary told Shimmer. "You are always missed here."

Shimmer said, "I will, Fairy Gary."

Then Shimmer flew out of the Dust Distribution Depot, wings sparkling, with the pixie dust for her friends.

When Shimmer reached Moss, her wings stopped sparkling. She handed out the pixie dust to her grateful friends, and they began heading back to Rachel's house. They flew towards the second star to the right until they reached the mainland.

It was late evening on the mainland, and the fairies soon spotted Rachel's house. They flew under the plastic covering over the rooftop terrace, and were relieved to see that the door was still open. They entered the house and flew down to the window to Rachel's room. They were glad to see that the window was still open, and they all flew in the room. Cassy opened their cupboard door, and they flew into the cupboard. Cassy was the last one in, and she shut the door carefully. The fairies talked about everything they had done in Pixie Hollow for a long while.


End file.
